Across Worlds
by Jedi Ari
Summary: A gift of magic from another world sends three girls on a journey they'll never forget. Rated T for minor language. Complete!
1. Psychiatrists are EEEEVIL

Author's notes after the chapter  
  
"So, you say you can use magic."  
  
"Yup."  
  
"But you say you're not a witch."  
  
"Right. I'm a red mage, able to use both white and black magic. Like in Final Fantasy."  
  
"Final Fantasy?"  
  
She laughed. "Boy, are YOU out of it. FF is only the biggest RPG franchise in the history of video games! Sheesh."  
  
The psychologist jotted a few notes down in her notepad. "I don't play video games that often, Paula."  
  
The teenage girl crossed her legs and leaned forward in her seat "Then you are MAJORLY missing out, miss." Paula stood up. "If that's everything, I'll be going now. I've got to check up on my Neopets--"  
  
"Please sit back down, Paula. You've only been here five minutes." Paula sighed and slumped back into the lumpy blue couch. "Thank you. As you know, your parents are very concerned about you..."  
  
"They shouldn't be. I can cast Ultima! What parent wouldn't be proud of that?" Paula grinned and settled into the couch. "I can even bring creatures from other worlds here! I can call Hanabi here, if you like."  
  
The psychologist blinked and took off her wire frame glasses. "Hanabi?" She leaned forward.  
  
"My Typhlosion." At the woman's blank stare, Paula continued. "A Pokemon. You know, Pocket Monsters?" The psychologist shook her head. "Oh, come ON! It was the biggest craze a few years back. TV show, game, comic books, cards, plushies...you don't remember any of it?"  
  
The woman coughed. "No, I'm afraid I don't, Paula." Paula went to speak again but was cut off by the woman. "If you can perform these...these spells, please, do show me." There was the faintest trace of an evil grin on the psychologists face.  
  
Paula caught it. "I would, Miss Evil Psycho, but it just so happens I used up the last of my MP casting Waterga on a fire in the kitchen this morning." She stuck out her tongue at the woman. "Nyaa."  
  
Again, the lady was confused. "MP?"  
  
Paula's face began to redden. "Magic Points or Power, you idiot!"  
  
The psychologist blinked and, regaining her composure, coughed. "Please, there is no need for name calling. And please call me Mary."  
  
"Bakana Mary." Stupid Mary. She stuck out her tongue again.  
  
The woman sighed before going on. "Isn't it just the slightest bit convenient that when asked to show this 'magic'" and she used those annoying finger quotes as well "you happen to be out of magic power?"  
  
"Well, I'm sorry, MARY, but I didn't know that my parents thought that I needed psychiatric help today!" Paula rolled her deep brown eyes. "What a thanks for stopping the house from burning down."  
  
Mary looked back at her notes. "They said you flooded the kitchen and they found the garden hose coming through the patio door."  
  
"The hose was left there by my idiot brother," Paula explained, groaning. "He saw me cast Waterga and dropped the hose in amazement."  
  
"Well, since you can't seem to show me these powers, would you care to explain how you came upon them?" Mary placed her glasses back on her nose and leaned far back in her chair.  
  
Paula fumbled with a large, broken half of a stone in her pocket as she remained silent. Mary began tapping her pen on her yellow legal pad.  
  
"Don't you want to tell me?"  
  
Paula looked at the floor. "No."  
  
"Then maybe you'd like to stay overnight for observation--"  
  
"NO! I won't tell you!" She crossed her arms and pouted.  
  
"Paula, you are not a three year old. Please act your age."  
  
Paula laughed. "You sound like my parents. I am not going to tell." She grinned and nodded once.  
  
Mary sighed, resting her head on her hands. "Paula, you can't leave here until you tell me how you believe you can cast spells.  
  
She knew the woman was serious. What could she do?  
  
Lie.  
  
Paula closed her eyes. "I was zapped by a powerline. It gave me the ability to pull things from the games I play."  
  
There was a moment's silence. "If you were struck by a powerline, you'd be dead, Paula. Please tell the truth--"  
  
"You don't believe my magic, either, so of course you don't believe how I got them!" Paula threw her hands in the air. "So why should I tell you anything?!?"  
  
There was a knock on the door, and both women jumped. Regaining her composure, Mary cleared her throat and said, "Come in."  
  
A timid looking man in thick glasses peeked in the doorway. "Dr. Murphy, there's a problem. You'd better come quick." He gave a little cough as he looked at Paula.  
  
Mary gritted her teeth. "Great." Throwing down her legal pad, she stood up and whipped open the door. Once she had exited, she shut the door in the same manner.  
  
Paula let out a breath. "Finally." She looked into the mirror on her left, smiled, and waved. "Hiya, Mom."  
  
----  
  
On the other side of the camera behind the mirror, Paula's parents didn't see her wave and begin to make faces at them.  
  
"Dr. Murphy--"  
  
"Mary," she reminded curtly.  
  
"Mary," Paula's mother continued, "I really don't think this is helping. She hasn't made any progress at all."  
  
"Mrs. Dinoso," Mary began sweetly, "this is only her first session! Progress cannot be made unless we continue. I suggest we schedule another session for tomorrow, personally."  
  
Paula's father put an arm around his wife, shaking his head. "I know, but I really don't think this is the way to go. I think we're just going to take her home and just cut off her video games for a while."  
  
Paula's brother sat in the corner, staring at the video screen. Paula was still making faces into the camera. He watched, still amazed at what he had seen...  
  
----  
  
"Ugh, I hate cooking..." He left the pot on the stove and went to get the recipe from the back of the box. "Boil...what's boiling?" He flung it dangerously close to the burner the pot was on while he went to get a dictionary.  
  
A gust of wind from the back porch's open door blew gently at the box, nudging it closer to the burner. Closer, closer...  
  
It ignited into flames, and took a few nearby kitchen towels with it.  
  
Paula's brother walked back in, a dictionary in hand. "'Boil: verb. To-- '" Staring up at the flames, he dropped the book. "FIRE! FIREFIREFIRE--" He ran out the back porch, screaming and looking for a hose. "FIREFIRENEEDWATERFIRE!!!"  
  
Paula ran in, hearing the rather feminine screams. "What--?" She watched the flames dance on the oven top. Her eyes widening, she grabbed the stone in her pocket and lifted her arms up in the air. Her brother walked in, garden hose in hand, as she whipped her hands down and brought with that gesture a torrent of water. The flames died instantly, and Paula and her brother were soaked to the bone, as was the rest of the kitchen.  
  
His jaw dropped as Paula grinned and stuffed the stone back in her pocket. Her smile disappeared as she noticed someone else was watching.  
  
She watched him drop the hose and begin to run.  
  
"Wait! You can't, you--!"  
  
"MOM! DAD!"  
  
----  
  
"...so we're going to take her home, now. Would you bring her here, please?" Paula's father finished. Mary's face was flushed as she nodded and tromped out of the room.  
  
The door to where Paula sat creaked open and she quickly sat back on the couch, her head in her hands. She looked blandly at Mary.  
  
"Can I go yet?"  
  
Mary grimaced and threw her legal pad onto the small desk in the room. "Go. Your parents are waiting."  
  
Paula smiled and gave a small wave as she walked out, tall and quite happy.  
  
The psychiatrist tossed her glasses next to the notepad and ruffled through her hair. She winced as the door shut behind Paula.  
  
"This is not the last you'll see of me, Paula."  
  
Okay. This idea will be interesting, and the plot develops more in the second chapter-as does the connection to FFX. Paula is inspired by a real person who is aka UA. This does have some semi-insertion (I-well, sort of me) comes in in a later chapter. I hope you don't mind it, but I write better when one of the characters is based on me personality wise. So pleeeease don't be angry. ;;  
  
Lesse.I think that's it for now. E-mail me if ya like at ara- laiexcite.com if you get the urge and/or are bored! Ari out. 


	2. Welcome to Your New Home

**Well, another chap! This one is, unfortunately, a tad shorter. Gomen! Lesse...oh, the AIM names in this part are really mine and UA's, so feel free to AIM at least me (I think UA might want some AIMs, too! ^_^) Here's where it starts to get...um...interesting. ::grins:: Please enjoy and if you do comment, constructive criticism only, please! No flaming! And now, on with the story!**  


  
"What? No games for _ how_ long?"  
  
"Until you get this silly notion out of your head that you can cast spells!" Paula's mom said, idly reading a newspaper. "Those games have gone to your head."  
  
Paula looked at her mom incredulously. "But I really _can_--"  
  
"Enough! Now, go outside and play for once." Her father had ended the discussion, and now Paula sat outside, tossing the stone into the air and catching it in her hand.  
  
"I really _ can_ cast spells...stupid MP loss. Hopefully it'll come back overnight." She held the blue stone tightly in her hand and closed her eyes. "Now what do I do?" Her hair blew into her eyes and she quickly flung it back to the side of her face. "Stupid." Paula laid back in the grass and stared up at the sky. The sun winked back down at her through some clouds.  
  
"Hm...I've got it!" She jumped up on her feet once again and held the stone high. "I'll summon! But who?" Paula thought for a moment, her hand still high in the air. "Better be Valefore. That's probably easiest."  
  
She took in a deep breath before beginning to twirl around, the stone still in her hand. She threw her hands over her head, dancing like a ballerina. She ended the dance with a deep bow, and stayed in that position for a moment before lifting only her head up to look.  
  
A blur was shooting down from the sky, swirling and doing rolls. Paula watched as Valefore came closer, nearer to the ground. She stood up straight, waiting for it to land.  
  
The ground shook and threw her backwards onto the grass. The stone flew from her hand and hit the ground nearby. She stared up at the sky, her brown eyes wide.  
  
The sky had seemed to split, and from it poured a large cyclone-looking object. As the clouds began to clear from the approaching form, Paula sat in shock as she recognized it.  
  
"No. It...Sin..."  
  
It flew across the sky, towards the coast, being pushed by some unseen force. Paula could only watch as it left, and scattered fiends behind it.  
  
She blinked. She point in the sky where Sin had entered was back to the way it was before, as if nothing had happened. The birds began to chirp again, and the winds blew back at their normal pace.  
  
Paula reached for the stone and picked it up. Its shape had changed to a small sphere with two dolphins surrounding it. It was also much smaller than it had been before.  
  
Paula looked up to see her brother staring at the sky as well. She opened her mouth to say something but was stopped.  
  
"Dinner's ready. And now you've _ really_ done it."  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Paula sat at the dinner table, her hands in her lap, as her family ate. Her father had the radio switched on, and was listening to updates on an odd weather phenomenon.  
  
"Its being called a hurricane, but it is moving rather sporadically. Meteorologists cannot explain its illogical path, and all residents on the west coast are advised to evacuate in an orderly fashion or stay in the basement of their homes if that is not possible," the radio announcer droned. "Again, there is a hurricane..."  
  
Paula's mother switched the radio off, and her father dropped his fork on the plate in surprise.  
  
"Why did you--"  
  
"It doesn't concern us. We're far enough in. We shouldn't listen to such depressing things like that while we eat." Her father began to protest again. "We're going to have a nice, quiet dinner." He sighed and picked his fork back out of the rice.  
  
Paula looked up meekly. "May I...may I be excused?" She tried to ignore her brother's accusing stare from across the table.  
  
Paula's mother looked shocked. "But Paula, you haven't even touched your food!"  
  
She looked back down at her lap. "I'm not hungry." She stood up and walked away quietly as her mother continued to stutter.  
  
"Maybe she's sick!" her mother said worriedly. "I should go get the thermometer--"  
  
"She's fine. Just a little tired, I think," her father said, scooping up another forkful of rice. "Let her be."  
  
Paula walked to her room, opened the door, and flung herself on the bed. The newly shaped stone was in her pocket once again. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling in the dark room.  
  
...or what was supposed to be a dark room.   
  
A blue glow came from the corner of her room. She blinked, trying to take the sight in.  
  
"What the...a save sphere?!?" She jumped up and looked at the large blue orb that now occupied the upper right corner of her room. Paula walked around it, looking for a plug-in or something similar. Satisfied that there wasn't any sort of electricity powering the sphere, she closed her eyes tight and reached out to touch it.  
  
Her hand hit cold glass, and she opened her eyes. The sphere had brought up a pop-up menu with four choices: Teleport Home (which was grayed out), Teleport to Sara's, Teleport to Katie's, and Play Blitzball (also grayed out).  
  
Paula pulled her hand back from the menu. Teleport? she thought. To Sara's and Katie's...?  
  
She backed away from the sphere, and the menu dissolved, leaving just the blue glow of the sphere. Sara, she thought. Sara and...  
  
"Duh!" Paula snuck out of her room Solid Snake style and crept to the computer. She switched it on and connected to the net. "Come on, come on, hurry up..." Signing on to AIM, she quickly checked her buddy list. She silently pumped her fist in the air. "She's on!"  
  
**CelestialNymphet:** um, hi, Sara!  
  
From across the country, Sara watched as an IM popped up from one of her friends. She typed quickly.  
  
**AraLaiKaipi:** HIEEEE!!!! How are ya?  
  
Paula let out a breath. "Not as good as one would think..." Paula typed at light speed.  
  
**CelestialNymphet:** GOod, good.   
**CelestialNymphet:** um, check your room in about five seconds  
  
From Wisconsin, Sara blinked. "Check my..."  
  
**AraLaiKaipi: ** check my room???  
**AraLaiKaipi:** why?  
  
Paula sighed. "Urgh."  
  
**CelestialNymphet:** please  
**CelestialNymphet:** just do it  
**AraLaiKaipi:** oookaaaay...  
  
Running to her room, Paula dodged her brother and shut her door behind her. She leaped out and touched the sphere. When the menu appeared, she quickly poked at the Teleport to Sara's option.  
  
She closed her eyes as a warm sensation came over her. "I hope this works..."  
  
"Paula, you know mom and dad said--" Her brother's eyes fluttered as he watched Paula disentegrate into the blue sphere in front of her. He rubbed his eyes. Paula wasn't there anymore.  
  
"I'm...going to go to bed..."  



	3. Travel by Sphere

**Wooooowee, chapter three! Okay, this is kinda short, and I know its getting sort of monotonous...gomen! ^_^;; Anyway, just a note to say that I'm not going to be updating as often because school is starting (grrr), so pleeeease be patient all who read this! ...well, all three of you so far. ^_^;; Enjoy! And sorry that there's only one space after each period...argh.**

Sara shook her head as she pushed back from the computer. "Go to my room. Paula, you've lost it..." Standing up, she shook her head and sighed. "Okaaaaaay..." Sara tromped to her room and swung open the door. It was as it always was: messy, and a bit cramped, but normal. "I swear, Paula is--"  
  
What Paula was, we'll never know, for a young teenaged girl peeked from the other side of Sara's bed, her black hair frazzled and tangled. As the girl reached up over the side of her bed, Sara stared. She kind of recognized the person.  
  
"...Paula? UA?" The girl nodded as she stood.  
  
"Yeah. What a trip!" Paula bounced over the bed over to Sara. She tripped over her belt and gasped. "Hey, I wasn't wearing this when I started..."  
  
Her clothes were indeed different. She wore a peasant-type red tank top with matching long armwarmers. Her pants were loose capris with a matching red cuff. A tan belt hung loosely on her waist with two ribbons off the right side. A pair of blue sandals finished the interesting ensemble.  
  
Sara blinked. "But how did you...how'd you get here?"  
  
Paula was still looking at her clothes. She stretched out her tank top in front of her to get a better look at it. "Weird." Looking back up at Sara, she hit herself in the forehead. "Oh! Right!" She pointed to the glow coming from Sara's bedroom floor, behind the bed. "Save sphere."  
  
Sara jumped over the bed in the same way Paula had. "Save sphere?" Her jaw dropped to the ground. "SAVE SPHERE?" Sara poked the blue orb with a finger. "How, this...I'm dreaming, aren't I? Whoa, menu!"   
  
"You're not dreaming, I, uh...you see, this stone..." Paula dug in her pocket for her gem, but instead found two. "Two?" Pulling them out, she saw her dolphin-orb, but also a jewel of the same color in the shape of a crescent moon. "Here. You can have this one." She handed it to Sara, who jammed it into her pocket.   
  
"Yeah yeah, who cares? I could play _Blitzball_!" Sara put a hand to her chin and poked at the menu choice. She hit it a few more times. "'Course, I never really liked that game--oh, wait, its not available." Her eyes glittered in the blue light. "What a dream!"  
  
Paula sighed. "Sara." She continued to gape at the menu. "Sara." No reply. "Its not a dream!" Paula shouted. Sara glanced back at her. "I, well, with these gems, I can do magic and stuff! Watch!" Paula threw an arm down and cast Thunder, which struck Sara. Paula winced, and a small '50' floated up from Sara's static-shocked head.   
  
"That..._hurt_." Sara's eyes were wide open, staring at Paula. "You really _ can_ cast magic! Show me, show me!" She was jumping up and down, her ponytail flying behind her.  
  
Paula stared at the gem in her hands. "I was trying to do Thundaga..."  
  
Sara put her hands on her hips. "Well, its a darn good thing you didn't! I'd probably be fried even worse than I am right now!" Sara shouted, trying to smooth down her hair. She began to work up a fury. "And how on--"  
  
"That doesn't matter! I accidentally unleashed Sin unto this earth!" Paula screamed. Sara stopped with her mouth open wide enough to drive a truck through.  
  
"You...how?"  
  
Paula looked down and spoke quietly. "I tried to summon Valefore, right? I saw it! And as it started coming down, the sky went all cloudy and windy and out came Sin." She sat on the bed and smoothed out her belt. "And it went to the coast. And they think its a wayward hurricane."  
  
Sara paused for a moment, her eyes staring towards the ceiling. "So...we have to beat it!" Sara said, jumping and sitting next to Paula. "We'll beat Sin just like in FFX!"  
  
Paula sighed. "Do the final summoning? And kill us both?"  
  
"No way, the other way!" Sara growled. "We'll fight Sin to the death!" She pumped a fist into the air and reminded Paula greatly of Rikku in her most spunky moments.  
  
"...just the two of us?" Paula began to shake her head before a thought struck her. "Wait, there was another name on the sphere." Paula hopped over the bed and tapped the sphere again. "Do you know a Katie?"  
  
Sara thought for a moment as she watched Paula. "A few of them, but the main one I know is--"  
  
Paula touched the menu choice of "Teleport to Katie's," and the warm feeling came over her again. Sara watched her disappear into a cloud of blackish smoke. She paused.  
  
Fumbling over the bed and smacking the sphere with her hand, she poked the same menu choice. "Augh, at least wait for me!"  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
"Damn girl." She pounded the keyboard with a fist. "I need that stupid stone! I knew it was in her pocket..." Turning back to the small TV in her office, she switched through the limited channels. "If only she had given it to me."  
  
"...hurricane unlike any other. It has been named Cindy by meteorologists, as there have been very few hurricanes this year. John?"  
  
A man in a business suit came on the screen. "Thanks for the update, Judy." He shuffled some papers in front of him. "For those just tuning in, a hurricane is coming closer to the coast. Named Cindy, the hurricane is taking an odd course towards the California coastline."  
  
Mary leaned in closer, her full attention on the miniscule screen. Pushing her glasses back up her pointed nose, she scooted closer in her office chair.  
  
The screen flashed to a map of California and about half of the touching ocean. The international hurricane symbol was a far ways off the northern coast, and a red arrow pointed a rather haphazard pathway that slowly came closer to the state.  
  
"The path Cindy is taking is unexplainable by even the best meteorologists, and where it ends up is apparently anyone's guess. The radar shows what seems to be a small hurricane, yet it is moving at speeds much faster than would be expected--"  
  
Mary switched off the TV with a malicious grin. She began to pack up her things and shut off the light to her office. As she shut the door, she laughed.  
  
"You've helped me quite a bit after all, girl..."


	4. Name Game

**Woohoo! 5 reviews (I'm so happy!)! And another chapter for y'all...all four of you...::grins:: Lesse...I forgot to mention the whole who owns this stuff deal in all the other chapters, so here goes:

I don't own FFX, or Sin, or anything related to FFX that's from the game. That belongs to Squaresoft.

The characters belong to me and, in all technicality, the people they are based on (you know who you are. ^_^)

Also, spoilers abound in this chapter, so if you haven't gotten a decent way through the game (I mean like Yunalesca far for one part), and you don't like spoilers, then don't read it! ^_^ Hope you enjoy this, and email me at ara-lai@excite.com if you have suggestions, for my plot, extra chars, or otherwise. No flames, please. Constructive criticism only. Thankees, and heeeere is the next chapter!**

Katie was laying on her bed, reading the latest Love Hina manga. Keitaro was taking another test and failing miserably.  
  
"Oh, poor Urashima..." She flipped the page lazily. "You _ always_ get into trouble, no matter what you do."   
  
Her room glowed a bright blue for a split second with a gale force wind to accompany it.   
  
"Oof!"  
  
"Ow!"  
  
Two flying blurs bounced off her bed and onto the floor with a thud. Katie jumped back to the top of her bed as one of the blurs popped up, her golden hair frizzled and red-lensed goggles atop her head. The girl's glasses sat titled on her nose.  
  
Katie recognized her. She hesitated. "Sara-chan?"  
  
She stood up and pulled up another girl next to her. "Yeah. And this is UA."  
  
The other girl smiled and waved. "Call me Paula. Although, you could ALSO call me Yueh. It sounds more...black mage-ish." She nodded to herself. "Yeah. Yueh!"  
  
Katie's eyes crossed. "What is she talking about?"  
  
Sara coughed. "To put it plainly--hey!" She looked down at herself. "My clothes are different, too!" Her pants were now a dress, with a handkerchief in the left belt loop and a loose belt in the right-front and right-back loops, from which was hanging the moon-shaped charm. Sara twirled around once and the skirt floated gently in the air. "A skirt?" She lifted it up a few inches and looked at her feet. Sandals now encased them.  
  
Katie blinked. "What's going on? And how the heck did _ you_ get _here_?"  
  
Sara was too busy examining her new attire, so Paula (or Yueh, rather) began to explain.  
  
"Oui caa, I was walking around one day when I found this stone." She went to take out her dolphin gem again, but once more she found two rather than one. The second was shaped like a star. "What--" She shrugged, shaking her head. "Guess this is for you." She tossed it to Katie, who barely caught it and began examining it closely. "Anyway...I found this cool blue stone, and when I was pretending I was casting Waterga to water the plants, it really worked!"  
  
Katie looked up. "What?"  
  
Sara finally quit looking at her skirt and took up the explanation. "Yeah, she can cast magic, like in Final Fantasy!" She began jumping. "And we got here by a save sphere! Look!" She tried to pick up the glowing orb to show her friend, but instead brought up the menu again. "Oh. Well, see? We teleported here, just like they can in FFX!"  
  
Katie's eyelids fluttered. "They can?"  
  
Yueh's head cocked to one side. "Yeah. The airship, remember?"  
  
Sara waved a hand dismissively. "She hasn't gotten that far. She keeps dying on the way to beat the Chocobo Eater."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Katie was still staring at the star gem. "So what? I can't run away from battles!"  
  
Sara blanched. "Katie-chan..." She shook her head and sighed. "Never mind. Anyway, Paula--erm, Yueh here accidentally unleashed Sin upon our Earth--"  
  
"WHAT?" Katie jumped from her bed and grabbed Sara's shoulders, shaking her friend (who was rather unfazed by this). "She did _what_?"  
  
"I know, I know, so _ we_ have to defeat it!" Sara again thrust a fist into the air.  
  
Katie's grip loosened. She paused, staring. "You're kidding me."  
  
Yueh giggled nervously, putting a hand behind her head. "Unfortunately, she's not. Maybe we ought to go back to my house, it'll be easier to show you." She grabbed one of Sara's hands and touched "Teleport Home" on the open menu. "Here we go!"  
  
"Wait, where are we--"  
  
The warmth came again, and the disappeared in the black cloud of smoke.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Paula's brother was sitting on his sister's bed, rocking back and forth.  
  
"She can cast magic. She can disappear. I'm just imagining things, I'm only imagining it, its just my imagination."  
  
Right then, three "imaginated" people fell from the ceiling and onto Paula's bed, one landing on his lap.   
  
He blinked as the blond haired girl looked up at him, her glasses askew on her nose. "Hehe. Gomen!" She hopped up and began helping the others off of the bed.  
  
Yueh chuckled when she stood up. "Sorry, Marv. Didn't mean to, ah, drop in on you." He simply stood up and staggered out of the room, mumbling unintelligibly and shutting the door behind him. Paula sighed. "I think _ he_ needs a psychiatrist..."  
  
"Katie, how on this green earth did you get stuck on the bed!?" Sara grumbled, trying to pull Katie up.   
  
Katie felt a tugging on her left thigh every time she was pulled up. Looking, she saw the handle of a rapier sticking out of a sheath that wasn't there before. The blade went straight from the bottom of the open sheath into the mattress beneath her. She pulled it out of the sheath and held it awkwardly. "I think this is to blame, Sara-chan." She handed Sara the sword and stood herself up. She looked to Paula. "Sorry about piercing your bed."  
  
"Its okay. I think we have _ other_ problems," Yueh said, shaking her head.  
  
"_Awesome_!" Sara swished the sword around a bit, grinning wildly. "A rapier! I _ love_ these things!" She pouted as she handed the sword back to Katie. "Lucky you."  
  
Katie shrugged as she put the sword back in its place and tightened the sheath on her leg. "I don't think it quite matters." She looked over her outfit. She wore khaki-colored bellbottoms with colored, loosely stitched cuffs, the aforementioned sheath on her left leg, two overlapping, one strapped tank tops (the shorter, white one on top), a thick bracelet with her star charm on it, a matching one on her left, sans charm, and a shorter version of Yuna's mid-sleeves. "At least the save sphere has fashion sense."  
  
"Great. I have to fight Sin in a _skirt_!" Sara whined. "Wonderful!" She flopped on the bed. "Yueh's a black mage, Katie's a fighter, so what does that make me?" Thinking a moment, she suddenly gasped and sat back up. "No, I _ can't_ be!" Sara looked at Yueh and Katie in turn. "I'm _not_!?!"  
  
Yueh nodded. "I think you're our summoner, Sara."  
  
"NO! I can't be! I mean, I just CAN'T! Because, summoners...they, they--!" Sara's shoulders sunk. "They die."   
  
Yueh remained silent, and Katie blinked. "They do?"  
  
Sara gave Katie a small scowl. "You know, I _ really_ wish you had gotten farther in FFX."   
  
Yueh stepped in. "In summoning the final aeon, they sacrifice themselves and another person--one of their guardians, who becomes the final aeon. Then Sin dies, but is reborn as a manifestation of the final aeon that defeated it," she explained. "That's how they always did it."  
  
Katie paused. "So how are we going to defeat Sin, then?" She glanced at Sara. "Because I'm quite sure you don't want to die, right?"  
  
"Why do you think I don't wanna be the summoner!?!" she screamed back. Katie and Yueh jumped. Sara put her head in her hands. "I'm not going to die, right? We'll find another way."  
  
Katie and Yueh sat next to her. "Of course we will," Katie reassured, patting Sara on the back.  
  
Sara suddenly jumped back up. "So, we might as well make this more fun on the way, right?" She was now smiling.  
  
"Talk about a mood swing," Yueh said quietly. Katie nodded slightly.  
  
"We need new names for our new mission! Like code names!" She turned her back on the other two. "Hm. Paula is Yueh...I'll be..." She twirled around again, and held one arm out with her hand in a peace sign position. "Arashi! Hai yo!" She grinned so wide her eyes shut themselves. She seemed the very essence of a spunky shoujo manga heroine.  
  
Katie and Yueh blinked in tandem. "Ookaay." Yueh nodded slowly. "So Sara is Arashi." Arashi bowed quickly in acknowledgement. Yueh looked back at Katie. "And you?"  
  
Katie's mouth contorted. "I'm not sure." She looked up at Arashi. "Do I have to?"   
  
Arashi nodded violently. "Of course! We _ look_ like Spirans, now we gotta _ sound_ like 'em!"  
  
"Does that require an odd island accent?" Katie asked. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I can't think of anything at the moment."  
  
"It really doesn't matter, I have to show you guys the hurric--well, Sin! Let's go to the living room." Yueh opened her door and exited the room.  
  
Arashi stuttered. "B-but we need names! We have them, now Katie needs one! Wait!" She jogged after Yueh. "Wait a minute!"  
  
Katie hopped up. "I know! I'll be Niet! Like that character from my manga I was telling you about--" She looked around the room and hit herself on the forehead. "Duh, they left! Sa--Arashi! Yueh!" She ran after the two, shutting the room's door behind her.


	5. Hope of Spira

**w00t! Another chap! Gomen about the shortness...-_-;; But, hey, as a friend of mine said, its a new chap! ^_^ Anyway. You know the basics, disclaimer, yadda yadda. Again, spoilers and such, so....beware. ^_^ Have fun reading, and if you feel so inclined, review. Whatever. Most of all....ENJOY!!!!**

Paula ran into the living room, which was (lucky for her) empty. She grabbed the remote and began channel surfing.  
  
"Yueh! Katie needs a name now!" Arashi ran into the room after Yueh and saw her plopped in a recliner, remote control in hand. Arashi put her hands on her hips. "Yueh, this is no time to be watching TV!"  
  
Yueh shook her head. "Sar--Arashi, I'm trying to show you Sin!" She flipped to CNN, where the screen was once again on the map of California's coast and the surrounding ocean. "See that little symbol?" She pointed to the hurricane sign, which was more towards the south end of California, but still the same distance away laterally.  
  
"Arashi, I'll be Niet, like my manga!" Niet skidded to a halt next to Arashi, who was staring at the screen. She waved a hand in front of her face. "Arashi? Arashiiii?"  
  
Arashi's face had turned serious once again. "Katie--"  
  
"It's Niet now."  
  
"Whatever, look." Arashi physically turned Niet's head to look at the screen, the map still on it.  
  
Niet paused. "That's one freaky path for a hurricane."  
  
"Hurricane Cindy still hasn't reached the coast, but it is expected to within the hour if it continues on its current path." The screen flashed back to the newscaster, who shook his head. "Cindy has been taking a less than normal path for a hurricane, and everyone within the affected area in Southern California has been asked to evacuate immediately an in an orderly fashion."  
  
Arashi blinked. "They named it CINDY? How...ironic."  
  
Yueh sighed, her eyes tearful. "I unleashed Sin...and its going to attack the coast." She shook her head. "We have to get rid of it."  
  
The man's eyes widened. "This just in, we have a visual on hurricane Cindy, and, well...you have to look for yourself to believe it." The screen changed and showed a large creature spinning in the ocean, growling and making unearthly noises. It was, undoubtedly, the creature Sin from the world of Spira.  
  
You could hear the man cough while the movie played. He was saying something to the camera crew in the studio, but couldn't be clearly understood. He finally spoke over the pictures.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we can safely say that this is not truly a hurricane. I--I think this creature poses more of a threat than we could ever have thought." The movie continued to play in silence.  
  
"So that's Sin," Niet said quietly. She fingered the rapier's hilt nervously. "That's what we're supposed to defeat."  
  
"Before it...before it does too much damage," Yueh finished.  
  
The studio had stopped playing the video and now was showing the newscaster staring off into space before being prompted. "Oh, right." He cleared his throat. "In other news, strange, elaborate structures have popped up along the west coast, the most recent in Northern California." The screen switched to a picture that was unmistakably--  
  
"Besaid temple!" all three girls shouted.  
  
"Looks like you brought more than you thought, Yueh," Arashi remarked. She took the remote from Yueh's hand and switched off the TV. "I guess we should go."  
  
Niet nodded. "Onward, I guess. North?"  
  
Yueh stood and went for the front door. Niet followed, but both stopped when their summoner didn't come with.  
  
"Arashi?"  
  
She turned to the other two. "Which way is north?"  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Mary was at her house, watching the same broadcast with a smile.  
  
"So, she brought the 'hope' of Spira with it. Wonderful." She switched off the TV and tossed a small, diamond shaped stone in the air.  
  
"Finding this was meant to be...in the parking lot of all places." Mary grinned, her canines seeming to gleam more than the others. "The girl must have had more than one stone with her."   
  
She held the stone high above her head, where it began to float out of her outstretched hands. It began to glow a deep crimson and flooded the room with its light.  
  
It enveloped her and seemed to cling to her body in places. Soon she was wearing a rather skimpy outfit, a low cut corset and a mini-skirt. The light gave her long tails, only on the front of her skirt, and finished with high heel stiletto shoes.  
  
The glowing stopped and the gem floated to a spot right around her collarbone, where it embedded itself into her skin without any pain at all.  
  
She smiled, her long bangs obscuring her face. She pushed them aside and began to hover above the ground herself.  
  
Mary flung a random bolt of red energy at her ceiling, burning a large hole in her roof. The flew through it, into the sky and northwards, one thought in her mind.  
  
Sin will follow me.>


	6. Son of a

**Hellllllooooo again! Another chapter, unfortunately, its kinda short. This time, I respond to reviewers first! ::grins::

SilverShadow -- hehe...thanks. Some people don't like self-insertationy stories, although I've read them before and like them, so...::shrugs:: Glad you like it! ^_^

Pen2 -- Arigatou! I'm glad you laughed! Some of this is supposed to be funny (a lot during the beginning), but later on possibly not, so that's why the other genre isn't humor.

ReiHino -- Heh...thanks for letting me use you as the main char. ::grins again::

Saito Nishigawa -- Sorry, but the whole not being able to escape from battle thing was too funny to pass up! ::giggles:: FYI, everyone, she figured it out. ^_~

Docuta and Suzie Croft -- Arigatou! Glad you like it!

Mr. Anonymous who didn't leave a name.... -- Okay, this is a hard one to respond to. I'll take this as being CONSTRUCTIVE, so here's my response...the story goes fast right now because I want them to get moving on their adventure and get the whole exposition part of the plot over with. Plus, I hate it when stories take so long to get to the point...so I guess its partially a personal preference, ne? Now, as for the plot holes...all will be explained. Be patient. ^_^ Next time, please leave your name so I can get more use out of the criticism, please, or be more specific. Thanks!

Now, on with the story! FINALLY! (Doncha hate it when half the chapter is the author talking the whole time? ^_^)**

Arashi and Niet were packing things as Yueh tried to figure out how to tell her parents she was going out to save the world from a creature from another world with one person she had met online and another she had never met at all.   
  
"I mean, what _ can_ you say? 'I unleashed Sin and now I have to kill it?'" Arashi asked. She shrugged while Niet found another blanket and began to fold it. "Really, you should just be straightforward. There's no way around it."  
  
Yueh sighed and fell upon her now barren bed. "How would you tell _ your_ parents?"  
  
Arashi giggled and waved a hand dismissively. "I wouldn't. They'd haul me off to the psych ward."  
  
Yueh gave Arashi a sad look. "They already tried _that_."  
  
"Then what do you have to worry about?" She pulled Yueh off the bed and gave her a pat on the back. "Just say you're going and go!"  
  
"Maybe we should just, well, leave," Niet spoke up. She finished packing the last bag and shouldered it quickly. She handed the others their backpacks as she spoke. "It would be quick, and that way no one questions Yueh's sanity."  
  
"Not that we were anyway," Arashi added reassuringly. She threw her backpack on her back and grunted. "Did you have to make these things so heavy?"  
  
"They're not that heavy. Besides, we don't even have any food for the trip." Niet walked out of the room first, with Yueh and Arashi following.   
  
"North north, north we go," Arashi half sang. She strode ahead of Niet and opened the door for her companions. "North north north."  
  
Yueh sighed. Arashi was obviously nervous about being summoner. The stress was getting to her, it seemed. She was halfway out the door when she heard someone call.  
  
"Paula? Paula, have you seen your brother?" Her mother's footsteps were coming quickly up the hallway. Yueh pushed the others out of the door and slammed it behind her. She leaned against it as her mother came in. "He looked a bit pale earlier and I--"   
  
It was then that her mother's eyes drifted to the bag on Yueh's back.   
  
"Paula, are you going somewhere?"  
  
It was time to do something Yueh was quickly becoming good at: lying.  
  
"I'm going over to Raisa's for a sleepover, remember? You said I could last week," she explained, beginning to release her death grip on the doorknob. Her mother's face contorted slightly.  
  
"I did?"  
  
"Yeah! I told you all about it! We're going to play MadLibs and watch Sailor Moon and, um, draw all night! _Remember_?" She creaked the door behind her open a bit.  
  
Her mother put a hand to her chin. "I...don't quite remember saying that." She looked back at her daughter. "But its all set up already?"  
  
Yueh nodded vehemently. "Yeah. In fact..." Yueh glanced at her wrist, despite the fact that she wasn't wearing the watch. "I'm going to be late if I don't hurry!" She swung open the door and shouted a hearty "Good-bye!" as she slammed it back shut.  
  
Her mother blinked. "Have...fun."  
  
Niet and Arashi were waiting at the end of Yueh's driveway, with Niet watching Arashi pace nervously. Yueh ran up to the two and stood next to Niet.  
  
"North north north..." Arashi stopped in front of Yueh and Niet, her glasses down at the tip of her nose. "Which way is north?" Yueh gave a shrug, and Niet pointed in two directions like the Scarecrow on the Wizard of Oz. Arashi sighed. "We're getting nowhere."  
  
"'Ello, ladies." A voice came from their right, and all three turned around.  
  
A man in an odd green hat and matching clothes bowed. "'Ello, I am O'aka the 24th, Merchant Extraordinaire! 'Ow may I be of service?" He had a heavy British accent, with a slight bit of Australian to it.  
  
Arashi gaped, Yueh blinked, and Niet just sighed.  
  
O'aka stood tall. "If ye haven't 'eard o' me, I'm quite surprised. My father started this business when 'e was my age." He gave a little nudge in the side to Yueh. "Quite the man, 'e was."  
  
Yueh regained her wits first and cleared her throat. "Erm, O'aka, we are in need of a map."  
  
"Ah, a map! O' course I have one o' those!" He dug around in his pack as he talked. "What you need the map for, ladies? Vacation? Dangerous time for a vacation, it 'tis. Ladies like you shouldn't be walking around withou' a protector." He pulled out an oldish looking piece of parchment, colorful and shaped like the west coast and surrounding area of the United States. "'Ere we are! Map of New Spira!" He handed the map to the only attentive girl (Yueh) and smiled. "That'll be 100 gil, if you please."  
  
Yueh coughed. "GIL?"  
  
O'aka stood back a bit. "O' course, gil! What did you think I'd ask for?"  
  
"Dollars?" Yueh suggested, rolling up the map.  
  
O'aka's eyes crossed. "Dol-larz. What in Yevon are those?"  
  
Yueh's shoulders drooped. "Currency." O'aka simply shook his head and reached for the map.   
  
"If you don't have gil, you can't buy, ladies. The vacation'll 'ave to wait."   
  
"I'm a summoner," Arashi suddenly blurted out. O'aka glanced at her for a moment, and suddenly did the Yevon bow.  
  
"Sorry, Lady...ah.."  
  
"Arashi."  
  
"Forgive me, lady Arashi." He gave a nod of his head as he continued. "I will gladly donate the map, however, I do have a business to keep." He straightened up proudly. "Must keep the dynasty goin', you see." O'aka gave a small glance up at Arashi. "Will you be needin' an'thing else?"  
  
"No, no, thank you greatly for your...uh...gift," Arashi improvised, returning the Yevon bow. "It will...um...assist us wonderfully on th...the...erm...pilgrimage." She gave a slight nod, which O'aka returned.  
  
"Good luck on th' pilgrimage, Lady Arashi." And O'aka left, humming to himself.   
  
Niet just blinked. "That...was who?"  
  
Yueh thought for a moment. "Does it bother anyone else that he called this 'New Spira?'"  
  
"Lady Arashi...that bothers ME." She took the map from Yueh and stuffed it in her backpack. "North to the first temple."  
  
"Righto!" Niet agreed.  
  
The two started off as Yueh looked back at her house.  
  
She closed her eyes and let the wind blow through her hair as she thought of the adventure and dangers ahead of her and her companions. Slowly opening her eyes, she bid a farewell to her house...hopefully not her final one.


	7. Guardian Slaves

**Hieee...gomen nasai, because this is a short chapter, and it really doesn't show much, but...ah...its a chapter!!! . Hehe. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and if you're wondering, the O'aka in the last chap wasn't FFX's O'aka, it was his son. Just a heads up. ^_^ On with the story!!!**

Mary had flown to the temple that used to belong to Besaid in record time, almost faster than an airplane, if that were somehow physically possible. The area surrounding the temple had changed, from apartment buildings to small, quaint huts, and from paved roadways to dirt lanes with grass all around. She walked into the town, her presence seeming to command respect.  
  
The people in the town had changed as well, but only as a reaction to the temple appearing out of nowhere and the newfound information from the priest inside who had followed as well.  
  
Mary noticed that the video gamers in the town had formed a small group of crusaders of their own. She chuckled. No doubt each town that had a temple in it would have these groups as well.  
  
She continued onwards to the temple, where she was greeted by the priest. She gave a slight bow and a disarming smile, and the old man led her inside the temple to show her around.  
  
The temple was the same as in Final Fantasy X, but now with the smells and lack of light, it was even more surreal than she had imagined. It almost seemed like someone had taken a cave and carved the statues and images into the wall rather than adding them later.  
  
The priest directed her to the cloister of trials entrance, and she strode in, the door shutting behind her.  
  
She was already ahead of them.  


  
*-*-*-*-*

  
  
Yueh and the rest were still just outside her house, looking at the map and trying to decide where to go, now that they had started.  
  
"The most obvious place to start is Besaid temple, right here." Yueh pointed a finger to a small dot on the map. She began tracing a path to their current position, which, for some odd reason, was pointed out as well as a small, blinking dot with an arrow. "We travel up this way by the coast, and we'll get there--"  
  
"In a year," Niet quipped. She stroked a hand through her brownish hair. "This is going to take forever."  
  
Yueh shrugged as Arashi continued to stare off in the distance. "Well, its not like Yuna and the rest really had a set time, right? They never say how long an average pilgrimage lasts." She rolled the map up once again and stuffed it into the spaced-out Arashi's backpack. "So we just go north from here. Although." She took out the map and unrolled it to point at the coastline of California. "The temple is along the coast, so should we go west first or north first?" Niet thought for a moment while Yueh nudged Arashi in the shoulder. "West or north?" No response whatsoever. "Arashi?"  
  
"Huh?" She shook her head wildly, her hair whapping her in the face and tilting her glasses once again. She saw Yueh had the map out and grabbed it. "We should go to the temple ASAP. West then north, ne?" Pushing her glasses back up her nose, she peered closely at the map. "Yeah. West first, or we'll run into the mountains." She nodded to herself and began walking, the map still in her face. "West then north."  
  
"Sad to say, I have to agree with our...less than attentive summoner on this one," Niet said, jogging to catch up to the mumbling Arashi. "C'mon..."  
  
Yueh sighed as the two walked off. Arashi was already cracking under the stress, and she hadn't...she hadn't even done anything! SHE had released Sin, not her, not even Niet! SHE had...so why did they have to suffer?  
  
She ran lightly and jumped up at her friends, hanging onto their shoulders and smiling widely despite her thoughts.  
  
Arashi still stared and the map, and Yueh sighed inwardly.  
  
_...fate sucks._  
  
Niet had finally pulled the map out from Arashi's face and was trying to wake her friend up when Yueh stopped the two. Niet looked at the mage quizzically. "What?"  
  
Yueh forced Arashi to sit down, and pulled Niet aside.  
  
"I know I don't know you that well, and you probably know Sara--Arashi better than I do." Niet nodded and Yueh continued. "And you haven't played much of the game." Again, Niet nodded. Yueh glanced back at Arashi, who was looking at the sky calmly. "Yuna wasn't like this, at least, not to this extent." Looking back at Niet, she sighed. "Arashi...she...I wish this hadn't happened." She shook her head and tugged on one of her loose strands of hair. "I don't know how you two got dragged into this, and I wish you hadn't...or even if you had, that I had just been the summoner--"  
  
Niet put a hand on Yueh's shoulder. "It wouldn't make a difference." She managed a laugh. "Then you'd be the one spacing out." Yueh chuckled as well.  
  
"I just think...we should be extra cheery, you know?" Yueh did an elaborate hand gesture as she went on. "Keep optimistic, don't mention the final battle or anything, do what she wants..."  
  
Niet crossed her arms, laughing again. "Kind of like slaves."  
  
Yueh grinned. "A guardian's job." They both giggled and went over to Arashi as they did so. Arashi stared at them for a moment, and laughed along with them. None of them knew why the other was laughing, but they did anyway. Just...to laugh.  
  
Arashi had finally stopped spacing out. "I...uh..." She smiled, rolled up the map, and adjusted the goggles on her head. "Let's rock."  


  
*-*-*-*-*

  
  
Mary had finished at the temple, acquiring the aeon Valefore. She had been nervous for a minute second, as the fayth had seemed to question her motives. _But I got it anyway._  
  
It was when she was leaving the temple that the group of crusaders, the geeks of the town, mainly, had gathered around to bid the summoner farewell and wish her luck.  
  
One of them, however, had a different outlook.  
  
"You know you'll die...right?" Mary turned to look at the boy, who was probably around 19. He was good-looking, she noted, with deep brown hair and eyes that matched.   
  
Mary simply nodded. "Of course."  
  
The rest of the group began to disperse, murmuring excitedly about the tasks before the summoner and themselves. The boy remained. "Why? Its futile! The spiral will only continue on, you must know it."  
  
Mary laughed and stroked a finger along the boy's jawline. He shivered as she whispered into his ear.  
  
"_Exactly_, dear boy." She walked off slowly and the boy followed. He ran in front of her and bowed deeply, his voice trembling.   
  
"Please...may I be your guardian?" Mary turned an amused glance at the boy, and pulled him up straight. His tanned skin was flushed red and even warmer to the touch.  
  
"Yes." She smiled, tracing a hand along the boy's broad shoulders. "Of course." The boy bowed shakily once more and went to gather some things before leaving.  
  
Mary watched him run off into one of the huts. _He'll make a good...diversion for me_. She smiled quietly and awaited the boy's return.


	8. Chop chop!

**Gomen, this is like...the world's shortest chap...EVER. LOL. But hey, its a chapter! ^_^ I just wanna say thanks to all of you who've stuck with me thus far, and I ain't even halfway done yet! ^_^ You guys are nice. And especially thanks to ReiHino for letting me use her as the main character and to Saito for letting me make fun of her majorly. ^_^;;;;; And its gonna happen again...^_^;;; Hehe...::runs and dodges attacks from Saito:: Here we go! And please be patient--precalc and school in general is becoming harder than I thought...I hate homework.**

The crickets chirped loudly in the cold night, a pleasant melody to listen to when trying to relax. Stars winked above, plentiful in the empty woodland that surrounded them. Arashi lay on her back, watching the glittering stars as the other two set up the camp. The grass underneath her was a bit damp, but at a good temperature to sleep on.  
  
Yueh had set up tents before, but Niet was having a bit of trouble. At one point, the tent had refused to stay up, so she had attacked the wretched thing with her rapier. Thus it was her turn to keep first watch tonight after relieving them of one tent. Yueh made a mental note to set the tents up by herself next time and always, ALWAYS take Niet's sword out of her reach if she had to help.  
  
"I still can't believe we made it so far in one day," Arashi commented to no one in particular. She watched a few of the leaves flutter in the breeze. "It seems impossible. Heck, I didn't even know that California had a forest like this."  
  
Yueh shrugged as she inspected the inside of her tent. "I knew about the forests, but camping was never my favorite thing to do." Her voice was muffled from inside the tent. "I guess I'll have to get used to it," she sighed, peeking back out. Yueh glanced around and finally found the person to whom she was speaking. "And you need some rest. Your tent's over there." She pointed straight across from her tent's entrance to the slightly larger sleeping quarters a few feet away.  
  
Arashi sat up and brushed off her back. She groaned as she stood up. "Aw, man, and this was an uneventful day..." She cracked her back out a bit as she shuffled over to her tent. "I can't imagine how I'll feel if we run into some fiends."  
  
"Hey, you don't have to stay up half the night," Niet whined. She was practicing swinging her rapier around, doing various fencing moves taken straight from movies. "I have to keep watch while you get to sleep."   
  
"Its your own fault." Arashi's normal personality had finally come out of the shock of becoming a summoner earlier in the day, and her sarcasm had returned in full force. "You had to chop up the third tent, Niet." She crouched down and slipped into her own tent with a giggle. "At least we can use it as pillow stuffing."  
  
"Shut up." Niet returned the sword to its sheath and peeked into Arashi's tent. "You have a worse temper than I do."  
  
Yueh felt the fight escalating and pushed Niet away from the tent and back to her lookout point. "You, watch. You," she pointed in Arashi's tent's direction, "sleep. Wake me up in about 4 hours, Niet." She crept into her own tent with a kind "good night."  
  
Yueh paced around the camp, her eyes watching keenly at first. Within 15 minutes, her eyelids began to droop and she had to shake her head every few seconds to keep them open. In half an hour, she was leaning deeply on a tree, her chin to her chest, snuffling quietly as dreams filled her head.  
  
Hearing a loud snort, Yueh awoke with a start. She grabbed her charm tightly in her hand as she snuck out of the tent, preparing a Thunder spell. The energy crackling through her hands quickly shorted out as she saw Niet slumped against a tree, the rapier at her knee stuck in the trunk. Yueh sighed and jogged over to Niet, shaking the elder girl awake.  
  
"Eh...huh?" Niet blinked her eyes rapidly. She saw Yueh staring at her angrily. She went to stand up straight, but the rapier once again obstructed her. She pulled at the handle, grunting. "This thing is more trouble than its worth." When she finally pulled the blade free, she stumbled forward, knocking Yueh to the ground.  
  
Yueh sighed and stood up again. "Stay awake. We don't want any surprises."  
  
Niet yawned. "Okay!" Stretching out her arms, she nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Rubbing her eyes, she yawned again. "Man, this is going to take a while to get used to." She did a mock salute as Yueh turned to go back to her tent.   
  
She froze midstep, her eyes watching Arashi's nearby tent. The cloth was being moved by something other than the wind. Niet watched Yueh with curiosity.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Yueh didn't respond. Not directly, anyway.  
  
"ARASHI! WAKE UP! FIEND ALERT!" Yueh screamed, throwing a shock of Thunder at the area behind the tent. Arashi had just scuttled out of the tent as the electricity flew over her. She ducked and rolled across the dirt as something was thrown back by the sparkling light.  
  
"Yueh! Watch where you throw that stuff!" Arashi shouted. She pulled her long side belt out from its loops and began to swing it around. "I can't quite see it, guys!"  
  
"Neither can we!" Niet shouted, pulling her rapier back out. Yueh lit a flame in her hand to better see everything.  
  
Lined behind the now flattened tent were three fiends: a Dingo, a Water Flan, and a condor. Yueh and Niet aligned themselves next to Arashi, each with a determined look on their face.  
  
Arashi let a grin escape her. "Our first battle, girls. You'd better do your job as guardians!"  
  
Niet and Yueh nodded. Niet held her rapier's blade vertical to her face. The blade gleamed in the fire light held above Yueh's head.  
  
Arashi nodded in response. She used her favorite phrase once again.  
  
"Let's rock, baby."


	9. Fight fight fight!

**Wow, finally another chapter!! XD I'll bet the like TEN of you reading are happy...LOL. Another short one this time--school and my health problems (fibromyalgia--you can look it up, if you want, its hard to explain...) have been taking over my life, leaving little time for fanfic writing. Don't worry though! I WILL finish this, but of course, its a long way from being finished...^_^ Have fun, and enjoy my next lil' chapter!**

"Let's rock, baby." Arashi swung the belt whip above her head, quickly gaining speed. She stepped forward slowly. "Niet, you get the Dingo--"  
  
"Dingo?" Niet's face faltered for a moment.  
  
"The dog lookin' thing."  
  
"Oh, right."  
  
Arashi continued. "I'll get the condor, and Yueh, get the flan! Go!"  
  
When all three tried to move, Yueh's and Arashi's feet stayed put while Niet ran forward in full force and slashed at the dog creature. Her rapier connected and a white 76 fluttered up from the dog, who merely shook it off.  
  
Yueh nearly hit herself in the forehead. "Turn-based battle." The fire now hovered above her head. She moved her feet experimentally. They remained rooted to the ground. Looking up at Arashi, she smiled. "You're next."  
  
Arashi nodded once and ran forward, whipping her belt up at the condor. It hit the bird's neck and wrapped around. Arashi tugged at it and the brid smacked the ground with a resounding 120 damage. As it disappeared into a flurry of pyreflies, Arashi ran back into her place in line, grinning.  
  
"At least I do more damage than Yuna without an Aeon..."   
  
Yueh went to walk forward again, but her feet were still stuck as if in the deepest, most thick mud one has ever seen. She groaned. "Dang it. I forgot that Lulu got like half the speed of the other characters..."  
  
Niet was running again and hit the Dingo for the remaining amount of damage. It dissolved into the pyreflies and Yueh finally got to step forward to cast a spell.  
  
"Here we go! Shock therapy!" She threw lightning at the remaining fiend, which melted immediately into a puddle on the ground. All three girls did a victory dance, and Yueh trotted up to where the fiends had stood.  
  
She picked up 45 gil and three small spheres and held them out for the others to see.  
  
Arashi pocketed the gil. "We finally have money!"  
  
Niet poked at a sphere in Yueh's hand. "And spheres. Any idea how to use them?"  
  
Arashi, Niet, and Yueh pondered this for a moment, before Arashi plucked one out of her hand and plopped it in her mouth. Before the others could protest, she swallowed the small sphere and gave a happy sigh.  
  
"I feel more magic already!" She grinned and went to set her tent back up, stuffing her half belt back in its proper place.  
  
Yueh blinked, and Niet took one of the spheres from Yueh's palm. She held it up to her eyes and squinted.  
  
"Should we?"  
  
"Hey, she took the mana sphere!"  
  
Both comments came out at the same time, and the girls looked at each other a moment, silence cutting through the night.  
  
In a second, the spheres were tossed in their mouths and they swallowed. Yueh watched Niet flex her muscles while Yueh felt like she had just drank 13 2 liter bottles of Mountain Dew. Her eyes twitched involuntarily.  
  
"Sp-sp-speed sphe-ee-ere," she twittered. Her head jerked to one side. "I think I'm going to be up for a while..." Yueh managed to turn her head to Niet. "You go sleep. If I try to, it'll just b-b-be wasted t-time." She leaned against a tree, her hand jittering.  
  
Niet happily hopped off to her tent as Yueh tried to get situated. She heard a rustle in the leaves and turned only to see her hand was what was moving the fauna.  
  
She leaned her head back, trying to close her brown eyes. This was going to be a long night...  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Just outside the Nevada borderline, Mary and her new--and only--guardian were also settling down for the night in the cool desert darkness. The boy, who she now knew was nicknamed Genki for his spunky attitude, was sitting close to the newly started fire, wrapped tightly in a heavier robe.   
  
Mary was readying the only tent they had when the light began to flicker out. Genki desperately began to breathe upon the kindling to restart it. Mary sighed and simply flung another small Fire spell at it. The flames shot up and nearly burned off Genki's nose.   
  
He jumped back, gasping for breath. "Lady, please, warn me next time you decide to shoot fire!" he shouted. He glanced back at Mary, who was still busy with the tent, ignoring him. "My Lady! My Lady, I--"   
  
"Hush, Genki. I am busy." She shot a glare at him. "If you were any sort of guardian, you would be doing this." Her long, sharp nails were obstructing her from properly setting it up. Mary growled as the tent fell to the sand once more. She began cursing as a thought struck her young companion.  
  
"My Lady, I have just realized. I do not know the name of who I am protecting." His innocent brown eyes looked up at the woman. "What is your name?"  
  
Mary stopped cursing to regard the young man. She had never mentioned her name to anyone thus far, and had not thought it important to introduce herself. Once she had made it to Sin, she would be famous enough. Her high heels dug into the sand as she made her way over to Genki.  
  
"My name..." Gently rearranging what little skirt she wore, she sat down next to him. "My name."   
  
Genki nodded, staring into Mary's eyes. The firelight flickered quietly as Mary leaned in close.  
  
"My name is Mariana." She watched Genki as she stood up and went back to set up the tent.  
  
"...and you will learn to fear it, Genki."  



	10. Cloister of Trials

**::sighs:: You know, these chapters seem a heck of a lot longer on my chunky ol' laptop than on my normal PC. Sheesh. Anyway, here's number ten, making this story as long as my old (and first) fanfic in the MGS section. Whee! Um, I wanna say thanks to Saito for letting me rip on her so much even though she's a lot smarter than in this story (gomen!!!), and again thanks to UA for letting me use her as the main protagonist! ^_^ Now if I could just keep everyone in character...

Oh! And thanks to this one guy who always reads my stories and bugs me over AIM whenever he's on to check for a new chapter! XD You know who you are...^_^ And on with the story!**

Yueh had managed to fall asleep when her shift had ended, but she still didn't know quite how, as even the next morning the caffeinated feeling remained.  
  
She awoke to a loud snoring coming from a short distance across the small clearing where they had set up camp. Stretching out her arms, she opened the tent flap and searched for the noise's source.  
  
Yueh saw Niet slumped against the tree again, her rapier once more caught in the trunk. However, Niet was not responsible for the atrocious sounds. Yueh glanced over to the tent across the way.  
  
She flipped the other tent open to see her summoner, tangled up in the sleeping bag, her arms laying across the entire width of the tent, sleeping soundly and loudly. Yueh hit herself in the forehead and went to wake Arashi up.  
  
"Arashi...Arashi, wake up!" She poked Arashi in the shoulder, which made the golden-haired girl grunt and roll over. Yueh tapped her again. "Arashi, you gotta wake up."  
  
"Five more minutes, mom, please..." She snorted and waved a hand at Yueh, her eyes still closed. Yueh rolled her eyes, sighing. She finally gave Arashi a quick zap with a bit of Thunder, and she jolted awake.  
  
"GYAH!" She rubbed her back and looked around quickly. Finding Yueh standing hunched over in her tent, Arashi glared. "You really have to quit hitting me with that lightning, you know." She stood up and stepped out of her tent, still rubbing her back. "That really hurts!"  
  
"You wouldn't wake up." Yueh decided to leave out the snoring until later on when the summoner was in a better mood. She followed her out of the tent, stretching.   
  
Arashi was notably silent, her hair tousled and tangled into what could easily have been called the worst case of bed head on record. She wandered over to where Niet was attached to the tree and shook her awake.  
  
"I'm up, I'm up!" Niet shouted. Arashi continued to shake her until Niet finally pushed her arms away. Arashi then stumbled back to her tent and sat inside.  
  
"She's not exactly a morning person," Yueh commented quietly. Niet nodded in agreement and went to free her leg from the trunk.  
  
"I've never seen her this early, so I didn't know."  
  
"She can hear you, you know," Arashi shouted out from the tent. Niet and Yueh winced a bit before giggling like the girls they were. Arashi peeked out from the tent. "And what is so funny?"  
  
Yueh waved her off and went to start packing up her tent. Arashi gave a glare and retreated to her own tent to sulk. Niet simply shook her head and looked for something in the surrounding area that was edible. She was starving. Her stomach rumbled, obviously agreeing.  
  
She wandered a bit further from the clearing and came upon a large structure in the trees--no, made FROM the trees. She blinked and cleared her bangs from her eyes, looking up at the massive structure they had somehow missed the day before.  
  
Niet paused.  
  
"Arashi!!"  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
They had packed up much quicker than they had set up, and ran to see Niet's new discovery. They all stared up at the wooden building in awe. Arashi pulled her goggles down around her neck before stepping up to the wide entrance that was encased with vines.  
  
"Let's go in, I suppose." She turned back to the other two. "Weapons ready, girls."  
  
Both nodded, and Niet pulled out her rapier while Yueh held her charm tightly. Arashi pulled out her belt and gently stepped into the natural building.  
  
The inside, as they found, was no different than the outside. It was still the grown wood, but they could now see the holes in what seemed to be the leafy canopy of the large trees that made the building. On the ground a large, crescent-shaped moon had been painted, and didn't seem to have been stepped on that often. Arashi gestured for Yueh and Niet to follow closer.  
  
Past the moon was another door, covered in a thick sheet of flowered vines. Arashi slung her belt over her shoulder and began poking at the wall of vines. She turned back to the other two. "No luck, its gotta be like two inches thick."  
  
As Yueh approached, she felt the jewel in her hand begin to get warmer. She opened her palm and watched the gem glow softly from its normal color to a deeper green-blue. She nudged Arashi's shoulder.   
  
"Huh?" Arashi watched the jewel illuminate, and took a glance at her own moon-shaped jewel. Its hue had changed to a deep violet. She held it up to the vines, which began to peel back.  
  
"Niet, c'mere!" Yueh shouted. Niet jumped forward and Yueh quickly took her wrist, holding it at the door.  
  
"Wha--?" Niet's star-gem on her bracelet had become a deeper green and was glowing as well. She blinked. "Oh..."  
  
As Yueh held her jewel next to the vine wall, the vines unfurled, creating an arch over the new doorway in front of them. Once they had finished relocating, the jewels stopped glowing, but stayed in their new colors. Yueh released Niet's wrist, which Niet immediately began to massage.  
  
Yueh stared at the door for a moment. "Guess this is a temple or something."  
  
Niet rubbed her wrist slowly as she nodded. "Yeah. Or something."  
  
Arashi hung her belt over her other shoulder and stepped forward. "Time for the Cloister of Trials."  
  
Yueh went in front of Arashi, her jewel still tight in her hand. "I'll go first. Just to be safe." Arashi nodded, and let Yueh lead the way deeper into the chambers.   
  
Her heart started to beat faster as she walked further into the temple. She closed her eyes to try and hide the fear--and excitement. The room was getting a bit colder, but not unpleasantly so. She finally bumped into something. It was cold, a bit damp, and made of hard stone.  
  
Opening her brown eyes, she saw a pedestal in front of her, a sphere in its hold. The sphere glowed a gentle yellow in the small bit of sunlight. She took it, and found it was mildly warm, not cold glass as one would have thought. Turning it over in her hand, Yueh showed it to Arashi.  
  
"Pretty." Arashi took it and handed it to Niet for her to look at as well. Looking around the chamber, Arashi let out a breath. "So now for the puzzle, huh?"  
  
"Yes, I guess so." Arashi went to the left of the pedestal, and Yueh to the right. Niet went straight forwards and ran into a much smaller pedestal. Shrugging, she set the sphere into the mini pedestal and watched as it sunk into the floor.  
  
Meanwhile, Arashi and Yueh were poking and prodding the wooden walls, looking for any circular shaped indents. Arashi managed to get her finger caught in one small hole, while Yueh only found a hole about the size of a large beachball. She turned to sigh to the others, but instead started giggling as she saw Arashi struggling to get her finger free from the tree's trunk. As she went to help her friend out, the room suddenly burst with a pale yellow light. All three covered their eyes and once the light was gone, the door to the Chamber of the Fayth had been revealed across the room.  
  
"How?" Arashi stuttered. Niet raised a lone hand from where she stood, blinking very slowly. Arashi's gray-blue eyes remained wide open. "How?"  
  
It was Niet's turn to stutter. "There was a little chibi-thingy here, and I put the ball in the thingy and it shrunk into the floor..." The rest was incoherent mumbling, much like what Arashi was doing at the moment. Yueh was the only one who had kept her mind, as she had seen magic so many times before it no longer phazed her, to a certain extent. She again went to pull Arashi's finger free, and was able to do so in a rather short amount of time.  
  
She began to push Arashi towards the chamber doors, and Arashi's legs loosely obeyed. She seemed to want to fall over, her knees almost too weak to support the rest of her body. Yueh kept her up straight until they reached the vine covered door to the Chamber of the Fayth. Again Arashi's jewel--and Arashi's alone--began to glow.  
  
Niet had finally gotten up and watched quietly as the vines unfurled for Arashi. Arashi's eyes looked from Niet to Yueh and back again. Niet nodded solemnly.  
  
"We'll wait for you."  
  
Yueh gave a sharp nod, which Arashi returned before taking a very deep breath. She steadied her feet, stared into the Chamber, and strode in as calmly as she could. The vines wove up behind her, leaving Niet and Yueh alone in the Cloister of Trials room.  
  
Yueh sat down on the wooden steps in front of the Chamber door. Niet wandered over and assumed the classic "Thinker" position.  
  
"Good luck, Arashi."


	11. Attacked

**Chapter juu-ichi ban! That's number eleven in Japanese, for all you non-Japanese speaking people. ^_^ 'Course, not like _I_ know a whole lot of Japanese... Ahem. Welcome to my longest story thus far at fanfiction.net. I'm glad some people like it, at least. ^_^ Lesse...normal disclaimer: Squaresoft owns FFX and all related characters and ideas, and Arashi, Niet, Yueh, et al, are all mine. ::evil grin:: Well, to a certain extent. ^_^;;; So! Enjoy, as this is a fairly long chapter, and stuff happens. OooOOoooh...^_~ Hajimemashou (Let's start)!**

The country was in an uproar.  
  
What was this terror that was just off their coastline? Why hadn't anyone seen it before yesterday? Who--or what--had brought it here? How could they protect themselves and their loved ones?  
  
The military began to take action. They loaded up on ammunitions and arms, readying themselves for the creature's imminent attack on the coast. They laid in wait as the area surrounding the proposed point of impact was evacuated of all civilians.  
  
Some thought it was a hoax. Even others thought it was an alien that had come to give knowledge. Yet another group thought it was an experiment gone awry or even a foreign attack on America.  
  
When Sin finally hit the coast, everyone had the same thought:   
  
_We're going to die_.  
  
Guns, cannons, tanks, missiles--nothing stopped its onslaught. It was like an instant replay of Operation Mi'hen, only this time, the Crusaders wore fatigues and combat boots and carried machine guns rather than wearing island clothing and brandishing swords.  
  
There were few survivors once Sin had left its mark on the southern coastline. Those who did live had a horrifying tale to tell to their children--and anyone else who would listen.  
  
The only ones who knew better were the gamers. The only hope they had?   
  
Any brave souls who would sacrifice themselves for the good of the land...the good of New Spira.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Mariana felt a tug in her chest as she walked. She fell over, holding a hand to her chest as she breathed amidst spasms. Genki, dropping the packs of supplies from his back, kneeled down in the dirt next to his summoner.  
  
"Lady? Lady Mariana? Are you all right, my Lady?" Genki asked, his brown eyes glittering in the sun. Mariana couldn't pull her head up to look, but even during the pain, she began to smile, her red lips pulled tight into the widest smile possible. Genki put a hand on her bare shoulder. "Lady Mariana?"  
  
As suddenly as the pain had come upon her, it left, leaving not even an ache in Mariana's chest. She leaned back and sat on her legs, still staring at the ground. One hand remained on her chest as she started to laugh.  
  
"Lady Mariana?"  
  
Her laughter filled the empty scenery around them. Genki began to shake, his eyes wide. "Lady Mariana?"  
  
She finally stopped laughing, and her eyes met up with Genki's concerned ones. She took her hand from her chest and rested it on Genki's face.  
  
"So it has begun."  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
An entire state away, Niet and Yueh both felt the same pain in their chests. Niet stayed sitting, but Yueh tumbled to the floor, her black hair falling from its bun and into her eyes. She reached up to the first step and pulled herself up.  
  
"Unh..." she grunted. Yueh shook her head violently, her hair flying around her face. She sat up once again, and took a glance at Niet, who was shaking as if she was very cold. A few seconds later, both of their faces went into a separate kind of shock--the pain had left in that same second.  
  
"Gh...Ugh." Niet gave one last shiver before taking a deep breath in and out. "That was...different."  
  
Yueh had her head between her hands. "No kidding," she mumbled. "What the heck was that?" She looked up at Niet from behind her bangs. "Any ideas?"  
  
"Nada." Niet's eyes looked at the closed door to the Chamber behind her. "Think she felt anything?"  
  
"I don't know. I've certainly never been in the Chamber of the Fayth before." Yueh pulled her armwarmers higher up onto her shoulders. "Still, it was so...so creepy. Like being stabbed all over while dunked in an ice cold water tank." She took her jewel from her pocket and began rubbing it with her fingers. "Creepy."  
  
Niet simply nodded, then stood up and began pacing. The hem of her bellbottoms grazed the wooden floor as she walked. She managed to walk around the perimeter of the room three times and was halfway through the fourth when the vines began to unfurl once more. Niet ran back to meet Arashi when she came out.  
  
Stumbling a bit, Arashi walked out, carrying something in her hands. Her belt was still slung over her shoulders, and her glasses now rested on the collar of her tie-up shirt. Setting down the large box she held in her hands, she sat down on the step, watching as the door of vines closed behind her.  
  
"You okay, Arashi?" Niet put a hand on her friend's shoulder. Arashi brushed it off and leaned backwards, resting most of her weight on her arms and hands.  
  
"I'm fine. Just...tired." She gave a small smile. "The Fayth gave us all blessings and gifts."  
  
Yueh took a glance at the box, and Arashi nodded at once. "Yeah. My gift was the Aeon." She breathed in steadily and deeply as she went on. "Go ahead and open it. Then its on to the real first temple."  
  
As Niet went to open the box, Yueh sat next to Arashi. "You mean, this isn't...?"  
  
Arashi shook her head. "Its not Valefore's Fayth." The smallest trace of a smile lit up Arashi's face. "But...I have a feeling that this Aeon will help us much more."  
  
Yueh didn't have time to ask how so, because Niet was holding up two things like a little girl on Christmas morning visited by Santa. "Look! A flute and a book!"   
  
Yueh looked for a moment. "A flute and a book?"  
  
"Yes. The book is yours, Niet, and the flute is Yueh's." Niet handed the flute to Yueh and began flipping through the book. Arashi simply closed her eyes and laid down on the step.  
  
Yueh tried a few notes on the wooden flute as Niet began grinning like a jack o'lantern on Halloween night.  
  
"Its a glossary! And notes about the Eternal Calm and all the fiends ever encountered and--wow!" She flipped the book over for the others to see. "Even weapons and stuff! And how to customize them and--"  
  
Yueh let out a sour note on the flute, and all three girls jumped. Yueh stared at the flute and Arashi opened one eye lazily. Yueh blushed and stuffed the flute into her backpack.  
  
"I'll practice," she promised.   
  
Arashi simply smiled. "You'd better." She stood and dusted off the back of her skirt. Putting her belt back in its proper place, she gestured for the other two girls to go out first.  
  
As they left the temple, Arashi lingered around the entrance for a moment. She leaned against the main archway and closed her gray-blue eyes.  
  
"Arashi! You said we gotta get going!" _That was Yueh._  
  
"Hey! I can make a super rapier! A Needlepoint!" _That_, Arashi thought with a small chuckle, _was undoubtedly Niet_.  
  
Arashi stood up straight and gave a small bow facing the temple.  
  
"Thank you..." She gave a small grin as she turned to leave. "...and I will remember to smile."  
  
With that, she chased after Niet and Yueh, trying to calm the former's excitement and telling the latter she would most certainly help with lessons--as long as Yueh didn't keep them up with her practicing at night.


	12. Welcome, ya?

**Wowee! 12 chapters, I'm so proud! ^_^ Are they good? Do tell! Um...its kinda slowing down, I'm so sorry about that, and sorry about my long absence...there's this deal with my chemistry class and my missing school (with my health problems, oyoy), so the chapters might be a little longer in coming. Gomen nasai...but hey, the chapter is a tad longer this time! YEA! And the guy I was talking about earlier? He's still bugging me all the time...lol. This one's for you! XD**

Mariana had reached the second temple in northwestern Nevada without a hitch, and was now headed for the third in the deep south of Oregon. The towns on the way, all of them, had changed into the quaint type of living quarters and style of most of the smaller villages in the original Spira.  
  
Genki had kept the fast pace up well, carrying all of their supplies and taking care of most fiends they encountered--not that she really needed the help. Regardless, it was enjoyable watching the young man show off to her by taking them on.  
  
Genki may have been innocent and even ignorant to some things, however, he was not stupid. He had begun to question Mariana's motives, all while staying in the guise of respectful guardian.  
  
"Lady, I...I've heard you at night, in your tent." He had brought the subject up out of the blue that night around their campfire. She responded with a silent look up at him.   
  
He cleared his throat and clasped his hands together. "You...you talk in your sleep, Lady Mariana. I can hear it when I keep watch at night."  
  
Mariana watched the fire flicker. "Yes?"  
  
"Well, ah..." Genki coughed. "You...you say odd things, my Lady."  
  
She smiled, still staring at the fire. "Oh, I do?"  
  
Genki had a hard time to not just watch her. The firelight made her look even more beautiful than in the daylight. He coughed again.  
  
"You...you speak of Sin as if it were, ah, as if it were not just a game character for your life. I mean--" He stopped a moment, his mouth visibly searching for the right words. "Like you've seen it before, in real life. You scream out at night about your father and mother." He made himself look at Mariana in the eyes, his shoulders shaking. "About it killing them..."  
  
Mariana faltered a moment, her cool gaze interrupted by a shockwave of memory.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
_  
"Mama! Daddy! They saw it!" The five year old girl ran in from the beach, pointing towards the shoreline. "The Crusaders saw it! Its coming!"  
  
Her father ran out the door and her mother went to follow. The little girl tugged on her mother's dress.  
  
"Mama, where are you going?"   
  
Her mother pulled her daughter's hand away from her skirt. "We have to help, Mariana. Your father and I are part of the Crusaders, you know that--"  
  
"But Mama, its really really close, and they said that a summoner is here, too!"  
  
She knelt down next to her daughter and hushed her. "Even a summoner without the final aeon needs all the help they can get, dear. We must go help." She stood up again, and grabbed a sword off of the hut wall. "Stay here, and keep under the bed. You'll be safe there." Without another word, she ran out the doorway and into the fray.  
  
The girl whimpered. "Mama...daddy..."_  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
"Lady Mariana? My Lady?"  
  
The voice interrupted her thoughts. She shook her head and looked up at the young man, who was now seated next to her.  
  
"My Lady, you...you blanked out. You wouldn't respond." He paused a moment. "Um, about what you say in your sleep--"  
  
"That, Genki," she said, turning away, "is a story for another night." With that, she retreated to her tent and bid him a quiet "Good night."  
  
Genki stared after her for a minute, simply blinking. He finally stood up and pulled out his sword, watching it glow in the firelight.  
  
"Another night..." He sighed, sheathing his sword. "A story for another night." Pushing his bangs out of his eyes, he shook his head and stared out into the distance. "My Lady, what are you keeping from me?"  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
"We've been walking for three days, eating only berries and mushrooms and the occasional fish! Berries and mushrooms and FISH!" Niet groaned. "I don't even LIKE fish!" She sat on the ground, her stomach rumbling. Niet gave her stomach a pat. "I need real food!"  
  
Yueh sighed, seating herself next to Niet. "You were the one who didn't pack food," she reminded. Niet grunted grumpily.  
  
Arashi, however, had been in a cheery mood since they had left the first temple. She took out the map and pointed to it with a smile. "We're almost to New Besaid, guys. We can pick up some food and rations there." She stuffed the map back in her pack and went on in front of the other two.  
  
Niet, hearing the magic word "food," jogged after her, asking what exactly they could get to eat. Yueh stood up slowly, watching after Arashi.  
  
_At least she's feeling better about the whole summoner thing,_ she thought. She began to walk after them, sighing once more. _None of this would have happened if it weren't for that stupid stone..._ Yueh looked at the gem around her neck. "Stupid thing." _I never should have picked it up, or called Valefore, or...or anything_!  
  
"Yueh! Hurry up! I can see the town ahead!"  
  
"And I can smell the food already!"  
  
"Niet..." Arashi giggled.  
  
Yueh ran up to the other two, putting the thoughts of guilt behind her as they walked into the first town they had seen in days. Arashi spread out a hand in a welcoming gesture.  
  
"Welcome to New Besaid..." She grinned. "...ya?"  
  
"Food food food!" Niet ran ahead, her nose sniffing the air wildly. Arashi ran after her wayward guardian, insisting they introduce themselves properly first.  
  
Yueh just stared at the town of small huts and the temple in the distance. All of this brought here because of her decision to try to summon an aeon. Everything changed because of her...  
  
She took in a deep breath. She'd fix it. She'd put everything back to normal before anyone got hurt.   
  
"I'll fix it."  
  
She ran after Niet and Arashi, also smelling the food that awaited their stomachs. "Wait up, guys! Leave me some!" She caught up to the two older girls and grabbed their shoulders. "Wait!"  
  
"Fooooood," Niet mumbled. She stared into a few of the huts that were open and watched one family as they ate.  
  
"Mommy, there's a scary lady outside..." The young girl leaned forward to get a better look.  
  
"Sh, eat your dinner," her mother ordered. Niet watched as the mother scooped more potatoes onto her daughter's plate.  
  
"Yum..."  
  
Yueh sighed. "Niet..." She dragged her along to the outside of the temple, where Arashi was currently speaking to an elderly man. Yueh's guess was that it was the temple's priest. They were finally within hearing distance.  
  
"...and we would like to eat and rest for the night before going on our way, if that would be all right," Arashi finished, giving a small nod of her head. Her goggles slid down on her forehead, but she didn't seem to notice.  
  
The old man was nodding. "That is more than acceptable, Lady Arashi." _So she already introduced herself_, Yueh noted. The man peeked behind Arashi and saw Yueh approaching with a resisting Niet behind her. He coughed. "Ah, would these be your guardians, Lady?"  
  
Arashi didn't have to turn around. "Yes. Yueh is the one dragging my other guardian, Niet." Arashi turned to cast a wry glance at Yueh. Yueh was surprised that the summoner wasn't laughing. Turning back, Arashi went on. "It appears Niet's hunger has made her less than sane." The corner of her mouth twitched, and it was a struggle not to smile.   
  
"Ah, yes, of course." The old man nodded. "Of course, Lady Summoner. This way, this way, my niece will kindly cook, I'm sure." He began to hobble off. "Come along, if you would."  
  
When the man had passed Niet and Yueh, Arashi finally burst out in laughter. Yueh tried to hush her and Niet ran after the old man, asking what was for dinner.  
  
"Arashi, really, I think you should--"  
  
"Laugh." Arashi's giggles finally subsided, and she went to follow Niet. "We should always laugh, Yueh." She followed Niet and the old man, leaving Yueh in front of the temple.  
  
"Laugh..." Yueh sighed. _That's harder than you think, Arashi...so much harder when you're the one responsible for all this_... She shook her head and went after Niet and Arashi. _When its all your fault_.   



	13. Food and Fayth

**Oyoyoy...gomen for the lack of updates, people. Life has been busy, and I finally finished my costume (and it went very well!)--which reminds me. Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you got lots of candy but didn't get sick! 

The updates will still be rather slow in coming, but they will come, I won't give up! Trust me! Chem and my Yuna costume just caught up to me and the story kinda got left in the dust. Sorry about that. This one's a fairly long one, so hopefully that'll help ease the pain of having to wait for so long...ah, bad authoress! Yes, I borrowed that term from a faithful reader...^_^ Hope ya don't mind! So! Final Fantasy X and all related characters/ideas © 2001 by Squaresoft, this idea is kind of mine, but if anyone has their own spins on it, I'd like to see it! ^_^ Please enjoy!**

The sounds of forks and knives clattering against plates was a welcome sound in Yueh's mind. Eating off of actual dishes rather than out of her hand or on a wooden makeshift pokers was wonderful after three days. The new people to talk to was also a great addition.  
  
"Mmm, egg rolls," Niet mumbled through a mouthful. She picked a few more off of the large platter in front of her. "Mhph."  
  
The priest's niece laughed, both amused and a bit afraid. "Thank you. Its one of my specialties."  
  
"The chicken teriyaki is delicious as well, Kiri," Arashi noted with a smile. "Its the best I have ever had." Kiri blushed.  
  
"The other summoner who came here said the same thing, Lady Arashi," the priest, Kihou, said. He frowned momentarily. "That was about the only thing she said."  
  
Yueh coughed into her food. Setting down her fork, she tried to look nonchalant. "Ah...another summoner?" She cocked her head to one side.  
  
Kihou nodded. "Yes. I didn't get to ask her her name, however, she seemed nice enough and even took one of the local Crusaders on as her guardian."  
  
"It was Genki," Kiri added.  
  
Kihou leaned back in his chair. "Ah, yes. Young Genki, quite a...spirited young fellow." He chuckled to himself, amused at his own joke.  
  
Yueh looked to Arashi, who shrugged. Another summoner?  
  
"Tell me, did she succeed in gaining the aeon of this temple?" Arashi asked, piling more teriyaki onto her plate.  
  
Kiri nodded. "Oh, yes, she did! She even summoned it for us all to see! Quite a sight, it is," she said, looking at all three girls in succession. "A beautiful, majestic creature, flying down to serve the summoner in any way it can..." At this point, Kihou had excused himself and cleaned up his spot on the table. "Fighting or just flying, they're always there..." Once Kihou had left the room, Kiri trailed off and lowered her voice. "But she dressed like a slut."  
  
All three girls blinked. "What?"  
  
"Her top was down to here--" she gestured to a rather low point on her chest "--and she had this real short skirt. I think Genki was rather taken with her." Kiri frowned as her cheeks flushed a bit. "I hope he's careful."  
  
"I, ah, I'm sure he will be," Arashi reassured. Kiri smiled slightly. Arashi leaned forward, her teriyaki forgotten. "Did you sense anything or was it just the way she dressed?"  
  
Kiri set down her fork and put her arms on the table. "She just...the way she walked, there was an air about her. She carried herself like she was above everyone else. And Genki fell for it." Kiri sighed and picked up her fork once more. She pushed around some of the teriyaki on her own plate as she finished. "It just seemed like she was in the wrong place."  
  
Yueh sat silently for a moment. _Another summoner_...  
  
Arashi took a glance at Yueh and seemed to be thinking along the same lines. She stood up and gave a small Yevon bow. "Thank you for the food, Kiri, and your hospitality. My guardians and I would like to visit the temple tonight, before we sleep."  
  
Kiri nodded, and Niet gave a sad glance at her plate of remaining egg rolls as she stood up. Niet did a small bow and stood behind Arashi. Yueh finally stood and followed suit. Kiri gave a small bow herself as the three left the hut.  
  
"We'll be back before midnight at the latest," Arashi said over her shoulder. In front of her, Niet blanched. "MIDNIGHT?!"  
  
Arashi laughed. "Come on..."  
  
Entering the elaborate temple, their footsteps echoed throughout the empty chambers. Yueh and Niet followed Arashi as she slowly and carefully walked up the stairway to the Cloister of Trials, holding her skirt up so she wouldn't trip over it.  
  
"I really hope this is quick," Niet muttered. The three walked through the Cloister of Trials' doorway and into the Cloister itself. The door shut behind them with a resounding wham onto the stone floor. Niet stared at the ceiling for a moment, her brown eyes wandering. "I want to sleep well in a bed tonight."  
  
"We ALL do, Katie-chan," Arashi said. She laughed. "I mean, Niet. We all do." Arashi continued ahead of the others to look for the first sphere and her voice bounced off the stone and brick walls. "But don't expect too much for beds, they're probably only straw-filled mattresses."  
  
"Better than nothing," Yueh said with a shrug. Niet sighed.  
  
"Yeah. Not much." Light and a loud bang filled the barren hallways and Arashi shouted from up ahead.  
  
"I found a chest! Come up here!" Niet, forgetting her whining, and Yueh, giving up trying to convince Niet of anything, jogged ahead to meet their summoner. Arashi pointed to a greatly singed hole in the wall.   
  
Yueh kneeled next to the small chest and examined it closely. Her deep brown eyes scanned over the wooden chest and saw a star-shaped marking inset where the lock would normally be. "Niet, I think this one's made for you. C'mere."  
  
Niet stepped forward and hesitantly brought her star-shaped gem on her wrist to the marking on the chest. It glowed brightly like the moonlight on a midsummer's night before dissolving into a small trinket on the floor. Niet's eyelids fluttered, and she gingerly picked up the small bracelet that sat on the floor. As she did so, a small pop-up window appeared above it, with white writing that said, "Metal Bracelet."  
  
"Armor," Yueh said knowingly. All three nodded, and Niet slipped the bracelet on her right hand. As she admired it, Yueh and Arashi went on to uncover the door to the Chamber of the Fayth.  
  
"I really don't see why we even have to come in," Niet mused, still staring at her silver bracelet. "Its never dangerous like they said in the game."  
  
"Three heads are better than one," Arashi said. "The puzzles get harder as we go along. Anyway," she said, opening the door to the Chamber, "I'll see you guys in a bit." With that, she entered the Chamber, the door whooshing shut behind her.  
  
Niet and Yueh were resigned to sitting once again, only this time, both had something to do--Niet her book to read, and Yueh her flute to play.  
  
Yueh's fingers began to play the melody to "Suteki da ne" unconsciously as she paced and thought.  
  
_Sin came here because of me, but Arashi...she's not the only one who can take care of Sin now. We're not the only ones who can kill it. This other summoner_... Yueh fumbled in between notes on the chorus while her thoughts stumbled. _Another summoner. I never would have thought it possible. Someone else to take this burden besides me, besides Arashi_. Yueh winced as she squeaked a high note, and Niet gave her a small, annoyed glance before going back to her book.  
  
_I wonder...is this how the other guardians feel? Wishing someone else would do it, and not their summoner? That someone else's friend, another guardian's charge would bring the Calm and not their own. Only protecting them from the inevitable_. "Crap," she said amidst the break between the last verse and final chorus.  
  
"'Crap' what?" Niet asked. Yueh's cheeks flushed.  
  
"I didn't mean to say that aloud." Yueh sat down and let her legs stretch out. She placed the flute on her lap and sighed. "I was just thinking..." There was a long pause.  
  
"...why us?" Niet ventured. Yueh let out another sigh and nodded. Niet closed her book and set it down next to her. "I know. And this other summoner, I was thinking, I mean, why couldn't we--"  
  
"--just let her take care of Sin this time around?" Yueh finished, raising an eyebrow. Niet cocked her head to one side and looked at her oddly. She blushed a bit.  
  
"Uh, yeah." She looked down at her feet. "Is that wrong or something?"  
  
"No, in fact, I was thinking it myself," Yueh admitted. She looked up at the stone ceiling. "I was thinking...that all guardians think that at one point or another." Yueh shook her head and tapped her nails against the cold floor. "This just...sucks."  
  
"That," Niet said, managing a smirk, "would be an understatement." She glanced at her shining bracelet. "Another thing I was wondering. How can this be armor?"  
  
"Magic of some sort," Yueh guessed. Yueh leaned forward and crossed her legs. She took off her sandals and began rubbing her feet. She winced. "And its too bad magic doesn't take care of aching feet."  
  
Niet's nose wrinkled. "Or smelly feet." Yueh gave her an odd glance, and Niet giggled. "Just kidding..."   
  
"Not amusing. I'll have you know that--" Something from down the hallway made a loud, rattling noise, then the sound of someone cursing. Yueh and Niet jumped to their feet, Niet pulling her rapier halfway out of its sheath.  
  
"Who's there?" Niet shouted. The cursing stopped. Niet pointed her rapier's tip down the hallway. "Who's there?!" The shout bounced off the walls.  
  
"Uh...no o--aw, crap." The string of cursing continued once again.  
  
"Okay, guy, no funny business, or you'll get a thunder spell up your rear!" Yueh yelled out. A young man, no older than 18, crept past the corner, his hands held up above his head. His bleach-blond hair hung in his eyes, and he was handsome but rather scruffy looking.  
  
"Don't, uh...don't fire!" He blinked, watching Niet and Yueh sigh and relax again. He paused . "...What, I'm not threatening?"  
  
"We've ran into _ flans_ more scary looking than you," Niet retorted. She gave him a quick once over. "You look like Tidus." Yueh stifled a giggle--she was right.  
  
His face contorted. "Since when was that a bad thing?" He shook his head and put his hands in front of him. "Don't answer that. I came in here because we need help, pronto. ASAP, PDQ--"  
  
"We get the point," Niet said, silencing the beach dude. She picked up her book and walked past him. "What's the problem?"  
  
"Hugantic Sin spawn." He began scratching the back of his head nervously. "I, ah, came in to bring a gift to help convince you, I guess, to fight, and--"  
  
"WHAAA!!!" Both the beach boy and Yueh winced as they heard Niet fall to the floor. She came crawling around the corner, glaring at the blond boy. "You brought MARBLES as a gift?"   
  
"Bath beads, actually," he said, smiling. "I figured, you know, days on the road and no---agh, what am I talking about?!" He gestured wildly. "Sin spawn! Fight! Summoning and--"  
  
As if on cue, Arashi came stumbling out of the Chamber. Her goggles hung around her neck and her hair shrouded her face. Yueh ran to her and helped her to stand up straight. Arashi tried to wave her off but accepted the arm of support. She began to speak but her eyes flashed to the blond boy. "Who...surfer dude?"  
  
"Ah!" The boy gave a start and tried to do a Yevon bow, his arms flailing as he failed miserably. Giving up, he just bowed at the waist. "Milady summoner, there's a sin spawn out front--"  
  
"Sin spawn? Attacking?" Arashi took a deep breath and managed to stand upright on her own. "Let's go." She went one step and fell to her knees. All three ran to her and she waved them off, standing up. "The Fayth said I was a strong summoner, and I think a strong summoner should be able to stand on her own two feet."   
  
The blond boy blinked. "You...you already gained the aeon--agh, never mind! Let's go!" He ran out of the Cloister of Trials shouting, "They're coming, everyone!"  
  
Arashi stood slowly and walked carefully, but determinedly, out of the Cloister of Trials, with Yueh and Niet close on her heels. When they stepped out of the ornate temple, they had quite the sight to greet them.   



	14. Boss Fight

**Aah, I'm back! Here's another chapter for your perusal and general enjoyment (or so I hope!). Man, this story is going on and on, ne? I mean, 14 chapters and not even halfway done...ehehe... Anyway, I'm happy that some people are reading this, at least, and hope you really do enjoy it! Um...more notes after the chap--you'll see why.**

All four skidded to a halt in front of the temple, and looked up. Outside was a large (normal sized for its kind) Chocobo eater, stomping around and occasionally ripping the roofs off of huts as it went, searching for food. The villagers and the local Crusaders were trying to stop it, but their daggers and slings were nothing but pinpricks and thrown sand to the humongous beast. It flung the villagers back by tens of feet and into their own hut walls.  
  
"Chocobo eater!" Niet shouted over the noise, holding open her book. "Ten thousand HP, weakness to fire spells! He's Armored, so Power Break would be helpful--if we had it." She tossed the book on the steps of the temple with an annoyed grunt. "Which, of course, we don't."  
  
"Cast Haste and let's get this battle started!" Yueh screamed. Arashi nodded, grabbed her belt, and began swinging it around. The young man stepped back and offered another bow.  
  
"I can help." He picked up a fallen sword from the ground and brandished it. "I heard about Power Break, and...after defeating several fiends around the area, I learned it." Arashi cast the young man a glance and looked to her two guardians.  
  
Yueh nodded with a small chuckle. "We need all the help we can get...c'mon!" She darted forward, and suddenly felt a burst of speed.  
  
"Casted Haste!" Arashi notified.  
  
"I could tell already!" Niet shouted back. The Chocobo Eater turned to them when they were only twenty feet away from the beast. It roared and nearly threw them all back.  
  
"Pee yew!" Niet shouted, plugging her nose. "That thing needs a breath mint..."  
  
"Beach boy! You're up first! Power Break!" Arashi yelled. The young man grimaced.  
  
"I have a name!" he shouted indignantly. "Its Ben!"  
  
"Fine, Ben, Power Break!" Niet screamed back.   
  
Ben's face flushed and he ran forward, sword outstretched. "Hee-ya!"  
  
Niet gave Yueh a small look. "'Hee-ya?'" Both shook their heads as Ben slashed one of the claws of the Chocobo Eater. The fiend's body flashed bright white and it staggered back a step. Ben ran back and pumped a fist in the air. "Yeah!" A small 500 floated up alongside a "CRITICAL" from the Chocobo Eater.  
  
"Not bad, Ben," Arashi conceded with a small nod. She watched the Chocobo eater shake it off and stand, waiting for another attack. "Thank goodness for turn based battle...Niet! Go!"  
  
"Right! Ah..." She held up her rapier and thought for a moment. She stared at the fiend for a moment. Running up almost hesitantly, she stabbed at the other claw, which did a rather dismal amount of damage. She jogged back and sighed, shaking her head. "This is going to take a while..."  
  
Yueh stepped up, clutching her flute. She went to cast Fira (a very recently learned spell) when she heard a voice, which was naggingly familiar.  
  
"Yueh, use the flute given to you."  
  
Yueh looked around and finally down at the small wooden flute. The female voice was coming from there? "Wha...?"   
  
"Use the flute," the voice repeated.  
  
Yueh hesitantly raised it to her lips and blew a few notes like before. Her final note held out much longer and fire shot from the bottom end of the flute out to the Chocobo Eater, engulfing it with flame.  
  
"And we have a power-up!" Arashi shouted happily. The fire finally cleared to reveal a critical hit of 862. Niet and Ben both attacked once more without incident.   
  
Arashi tried her usual whip-style attack, however, the tail end of it got caught perfectly around the end of one of the fiend's claws. She dangled around ten feet off the ground, hanging on tightly. Arashi's gray-blue eyes eyed the ground below her.  
  
"Okay, here's what we do," Arashi managed to say calmly. The fiend raised its claw so Arashi was level with its mouth. "Chop his claw off!"  
  
"We can't! The whole turn based battle thing, remember?" Niet reminded her.  
  
"It won't work that way anymore! The old fiends--never mind, we don't have time!" Arashi began to hop up and down in a manner, tugging the belt-whip slightly farther down with each hop. She spoke in between tugs. "Turn--based--battle--doesn't--work--" The Chocobo Eater raised her up above his head and she quickly climbed back up towards the claw. "--in real life! At least not against--gyah!" The fiend started flinging his claw up and down and Arashi hung on for dear life. "Not against bosses!"   
  
Yueh shook her head. Arashi...she wasn't going to die because of some stupid thing she had done! Not able to think of anything else, she put her flute to her lips and began playing the Hymn of the Fayth. Niet was about to shout at her to do something else when the fiend suddenly halted its thrashing. Arashi swung lightly from the claw and looked down, bewildered. Yueh paused for a moment.  
  
"Keep playing! I think I can take care of this!" Yueh obliged and the fiend stayed in the same position, one claw upraised and Arashi dangling off of it. Suddenly, her face turned red and she began squirming.  
  
"What!? Is it moving!?!" Ben shouted. Arashi shook her head.  
  
"I uh--well--turn around!" Arashi yelled back. Ben cocked his head to one side. She continued explaining as she tried to climb on top of the claw. "You can see under my skirt!"  
  
Ben blinked, and Yueh caught the feeling that he was saddened he hadn't thought of that earlier. He turned around, mumbling something as Yueh began to reach the end of the song. Her eyes flashed up at Arashi.  
  
"I know!" she grunted, pulling herself up. Quickly unwrapping her whip, she started to twirl around on top of the claw.  
  
"What the--" Niet's face reddened with anger. "This isn't any time for dancing! Get down from there!"  
  
"Can I turn around yet?" Ben asked impatiently. He wasn't answered, as something else was coming down from the sky. The melody ended and the Chocobo Eater's paralysis began to fade away.  
  
"Arashi!" both girls shouted. Ben turned around without permission and stared up at Arashi as she finished her dancing. The Chocobo Eater tossed her up high above it's head and opened its mouth wide.  
  
Yueh's eyes were wide open. "_Arashi_!"  
  
A swooping white creature flew down from the sky and caught Arashi between it's blindingly white wings. It's diamond hooves cut at the Chocobo Eater's head as it landed next to the other three fighters.  
  
As Arashi jumped off, the others could clearly see that the creature was a white horse with feathered wings and a dusty tan mane and tail. Along the right rear side of the horse was a small pattern of dark blue vines and light pink flowers. The horse stood calmly next to Arashi, its differently hued eyes staring up at the Chocobo Eater.  
  
"When did you...?" Niet trailed off. Yueh shook her head. A new summon?  
  
"Tsuki," Arashi stated. She patted the horse lightly on the head and smiled. "She's...a gift from the other temple...that I was to use only in great need."  
  
Yueh stared at the horse intently. Something about it, its aura, the way it stood, it seemed familiar to her. She couldn't shake the feeling.  
  
"All right." Arashi stood tall, her belt now loose about her shoulders. "Tsuki, I ask you: attack it, please!"  
  
The mare gave a small snort and pranced forward. Only feet in front of the fiend, it managed to bow down and stayed in that position for a moment. The Chocobo Eater bent a claw down to grab at it, which was when the mare ran forward and promptly began trampling the fiend in a mountain of shining dust. All the fighters shielded their eyes as the dust rose high above the fiend and the flying horse.  
  
The horse finally sped out of the cloud of dust and again landed next to Arashi. It gave another bow to her and flew off into the sky once more. Arashi gave a Yevon bow as it did so.  
  
"Arigatou," she whispered. Yueh only barely managed to hear it before she shouted, "All right! Five thousand damage down thanks to Tsuki. Let's finish her up, everyone!" She smiled, her eyes shutting as she did. "Ganbatte, min'na-san!"  
  
The Chocobo Eater was sagging, its claws dragging on the ground. _Its like Tsuki's attack did more than just damage it_, Yueh thought. _But an Aeon that powerful, so early...who granted that Aeon to her_?  
  
Ben ran forward, stumbling as he choked on some of the remaining dust. He tripped and his sword flew into the head of the fiend. It roared wildly, thrashing its arms about. One of the flailing claws hit Ben and flung him backwards straight into Niet. Both hit one of the huts, causing it to collapse on both of them.  
  
"Niet! Ben!" Yueh clenched her teeth. She threw her flute to her lips and began a wild, upbeat melody. From the openings of the flute, shards of flaming vines flew out and stabbed into the fiend, finishing off what was left of its health. She fell to her knees, weakened, as the fiend dissolved into pyre flies.  
  
Arashi ran to the fallen hut and began digging. Yueh simply stared at the pyre flies floating up into the half-darkened sky. The setting sun created an odd silhouette against the other fallen huts and people trying to clean up and salvage what was left of the small village.  
  
_This...this is all my fault...I..._ She closed her eyes, tears welling up as she heard Arashi still frantically searching and screaming out for Niet and Ben. "I did this..." Tears streamed down her tan cheek as her flute dropped to the dirt. "I did this..."  


**::is nervous:: Aheh...don't kill me, Saito! Gomen gomen!!! You gotta trust me--everything'll be all right! ^_^ Hope you enjoyed, and now for an announcement: I'm going to try to update once a week (at the least), due to school (whee...I hate precalc). So, pleeeeease be patient with me! ^_^ Ja ne, until next time! Ari...out!**


	15. Do You Believe in Magic?

**Onto this chapter 15! Having fun yet? I hope so! I greatly appreciate all the reviews and hope you continue to do so! I also want to say that in reality, this doesn't count as an insertion fic anymore, being as the personalities between the characters and their real-life counterparts have changed greatly. So, um....yea? . Anyway, this is a fairly long chapter, and I introduce some other characters in this chap that--well, wait and see. ::evil grin:: Enjoy!**

"Niet! Ben! NIET!" Arashi flung pieces of the thatched hut aside frantically. "BEN! NIET! ANSWER ME!" She looked back at Yueh to see her crying. "Yueh! Help! I--NIET! BEN!" She turned to the hut once more and threw off another large piece of the straw and wood walls, revealing the sword that Ben had held moments earlier. A small, thin trail of blood was streaming down the blade, and tears fell from Arashi's eyes. 

Yueh didn't hear the cries from Arashi behind her. Everything to her was blocked out by her own tears. 

_I did this...we're all going to die, and its my own fault_. She stood up and shouted out. "Why!? Why do this to me?! Give me a power and then have it go back on me? Why do this? Why do it at all!? To anyone?!?" She gave out another scream. "WHY?" 

One of the villagers finally noticed Yueh screaming to the winds and Arashi throwing pieces of the small hut wildly and ran to Arashi's aid. Kiri, beaten up and bloodied, went over to Yueh and picked up her flute. Handing it to her, her eyes welled up as well and she hugged Yueh, who sobbed into the older girl's shoulder. 

"Niet, Ben, please be okay! PLEASE!" Arashi begged to no one in particular. She threw off a very large piece with the help of the villager and there lay Niet, face up, with Ben next to her, stomach on the ground and face to the side. Both were scratched badly, and their hair was covered in straw. Ben's was also matted with blood. Arashi screamed out again. 

Yueh heard nothing. This wasn't happening, was it? She was just back at home, laying in bed, dreaming all this. A bad dream, a nightmare, it wasn't really happening... 

Another scream came from Arashi when she found Niet's rapier embedded in Ben's left leg. Niet's left arm had a large splinter in it, up by the shoulder. The villager ran to get help while she sobbed. 

_This isn't happening, this isn't happening_... 

*-*-*-*-* 

"This is not happening." 

Mariana and Genki were stuck outside the main gates of the largest "New Spira" town, named, (un)creatively enough, New Luca. There was a long line outside the gates, waiting for what was, apparently, the Championship Blitzball games. Which, of course, happened to be happening within the next week or two. 

"Prelims are first," someone in front of them was saying. "Some try-outs even, for the smaller teams, I heard." 

"Dude, really?" The spiky haired teen in front of Mariana jumped a little bit, his sandals clomping. "Dude, I could be the best! I kick--" 

"You could not beat a three year old child at Blitzball," Mariana said, pushing her way through the two. She gave them a look that shot daggers. "Dude." With Genki following diligently, Mariana shoved her way through the crowd, finally arriving at the main gates. Three young men at the front of the line gave her an odd look, with the one in long brown hair holding a Blitzball just outright glaring. She heard him mutter a few things, then, "Dona," before being hit upside the head by the tallest, dark blond one. The last one let out a snort of laughter, and Mariana shook her head. _Children_. 

She approached the main guard next to the gate and gave a curt bow. "Hello. I am Summoner Mariana, and I must get through so I can go to see the temple." Genki nodded eagerly. 

The guard, a muscular man with long, dark reddish hair, shook his head. "Sorry, Lady Mariana, but my orders are not to let anyone--" 

She stepped closer. "Perhaps you did not hear me. I must get through. I did not ask you." Mariana gave a glare that pierced the man's heart straight through with fear. "Do you understand what I am saying?" 

He gave a deep bow. "I am sorry, my Lady, but I cannot--I cannot do that, my orders are otherwise. You--you'll have to talk to my boss, I, ah--" He put his hands out in front of him. "Wait right here." With that, he ran quickly in through the gate, shouting out for his boss. 

One of the young men behind Mariana, the tall one, tapped her on the shoulder. She whirled around on him. "What?" 

"That was rather rude, especially for a summoner," he pointed out. Pushing his wire-frame glasses up his nose, he continued. "You should apologize when he returns." 

She stood up taller, managing to reach the boy's chin with her height. "I will do nothing of the sort. My pilgrimage is more important than any orders he has received." Mariana poked a long, painted nail at his nose. "And you are nothing compared to a summoner." 

"I beg to differ, however, opinions always change from one person to another." The young man stepped back and gave a short bow. He pointed to the gate. "And so he returns." 

The blond's companions began peppering him with questions as Mariana turned her attention back to the redheaded guard. He had indeed returned, and this time with an older man, perhaps in his mid-thirties. The man gave an elaborate bow before smacking his younger companion across the back of the head. 

"Pardon my employee, Lady Mariana, he is very ignorant." Waving them ahead, he used his other hand to once again thwap the redhead. "Idiot!" he whispered hoarsely. He then followed Mariana and Genki meekly, asking them of their needs. 

The three young men just outside the gate stared. 

"She's not the one, is she?" the brown-haired one asked. 

"She can't be--she's too old," the last one said, tugging at his braid. He turned to the tallest one. "Isn't that what you said?" 

He nodded. "Right. She's sixteen, and the other two are sixteen and thirteen." He looked past the gate, watching Mariana go on her way. 

"So we keep on." 

*-*-*-*-* 

Yueh was sitting with her head in her hands in the temple's main chambers, having a couple of minor scratches from the fight treated by the village nurse. She had tried to shove her away, as she was the least injured, but the woman insisted on tending to every last wound on the mage. 

"There are others more in need," she had finally said, turning away from the lady. The woman paused before giving a small bow, picking up her things and leaving. This left Yueh alone to sulk, among other things. 

She stared down the hallway to the left. She hadn't heard a single thing from that direction in over an hour. At first, there had been screams and shouts, yelling about who was more critically injured. The sobbing came immediately thereafter. The crying that cut into Yueh's soul and conscience. Yueh leaned forward, having lost the strength to cry long ago. 

_This came first...and then I find out Sin hit the southern coast_. Her bangs brushed her bare knees as she shook her head. _I thought I could stop it before...before anything happened_. Yueh shut her eyes tight. _And now this. I_... 

_How can we go on_? 

Footsteps from down the hallway interrupted her thoughts. Kihou limped out of the doorway and stopped next to Yueh. He remained silent for a moment. 

"What is it?" 

Kihou let out a small cough. "Lady Arashi would like you to go in now." He gestured down the hallway with one hand. Yueh pushed herself up from her seat. Kihou held out a hand to help her along, but she simply walked on by, leaving the elder priest stunned for a moment before seating himself to rest. 

Yueh walked in cautiously, tapping on the doorframe lightly to announce her presence. Kiri looked away from a kneeling Arashi to smile kindly at Yueh. _How can she smile at a time like this_? Yueh's face contorted lightly before she saw who Arashi was kneeling next to 

Niet was sleeping soundly, her chest rising and falling steadily with each breath she took. _At least she's breathing_. Yueh crept closer and stood behind Arashi, next to Kiri. Kiri leaned in to whisper to Yueh. 

"Lady Arashi's been using white magic for the past half an hour on Niet," Kiri explained quietly. She turned back to watch Arashi continue working. "When we managed all we could with our medicines on both, Lady Arashi..." Kiri leaned her head to one side, looking confused. Yueh blinked and silently urged her on. "Well, Lady Arashi hit herself on the forehead and said 'baka...'" Kiri shook her head. "She pushed us all away and began her magic." 

Yueh managed a smile, her dark mood lifting slightly. _She forgot she had magic. ...so did I, I guess_. Yueh coughed and stepped next to Arashi. 

"Leave us be, please, Kiri." 

Kiri gave a shaky bow before departing silently. She closed the curtain door behind her. Yueh sat next to Arashi, setting her flute on the bed next to Niet. She took a deep breath before speaking. 

"Is she going to be okay?" Arashi's silence scared her, but finally the girl removed her glasses, rubbed the bridge of her nose and spoke. 

"She'll be fine, I think." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I managed to heal the major wounds, but her arm is probably going to be achy for a while, and that scar..." She hung her head. "That scar is going to stay, I'm afraid." 

_A constant reminder of my mistake_, Yueh thought with a sigh. What she said, however, was, "At least she's not dead...right?" 

Arashi nodded and placed her glasses back on her nose. "Right." Standing up, she slowly walked to the other side of the room. She let out a heavy sigh as she looked upon the figure in the bed next to her. "Ben, however..." 

Yueh's voice squeaked. "He's not dead, is he?" 

Arashi shook her head. "Far from it. But...Niet's rapier did something to his leg besides stab and slash it." She gently lifted the blanket to reveal the young man's lower thigh, which now had a fresh, bright red slash from the top of the kneecap to the middle of his thigh. Yueh winced, but Arashi remained unfazed. "They stopped the bleeding, which is when I remembered I had white magic. I got it to heal over, but, well..." She set the blanket back in its place. "Niet's rapier had a paralysis charm on it added recently. She must have done it right before we came to New Besaid." Staring Yueh straight in the eyes, she went on. "His muscles in his leg probably won't function correctly for quite a while." 

"...how long?" 

Arashi kneeled next to the bed, rubbing her knees lightly. "Ugh, this floor is hard. I won't know for sure until he wakes up." Yueh watched as Arashi unwrapped the bandages around the young man's head. They were stained a bright crimson, but they didn't get anything on her hands when she removed them. Arashi laid them on the small bedside table and put her hands on Ben's head. The air around her hands glowed white, and the glow transferred from her hands to Ben's scarred head. The light ceased, and Arashi leaned back. Yueh waited with baited breath as Ben's eyes fluttered open. 

His eyes darted back and forth from Yueh to Arashi. He coughed lightly, wincing as he did so. "I--Chocobo Eater--" 

Arashi put a hand over his mouth. "Sh. The fiend is dead." He tried to sit up, but Yueh helped to keep him down. 

"You--you're already hurt enough," Yueh said, keeping a hand on his shoulder. Ben relented, but didn't look happy about it. She attempted a smile. "But, hey, you're alive, right? 

Ben groaned as he shifted in his bed. "Barely." 

Arashi smiled widely. "You'll be fine." She stood back up once again, keeping a hand on the table next to her, Yueh noted. "Just rest, and--your leg..." Ben blinked slowly before Arashi continued. "Niet's rapier pierced your leg when you hit the hut. It had some sort of paralysis effect on it, and your muscles might not work right for a while." Ben nodded weakly. Arashi patted him lightly on the shoulder, smiling again. "I'll have Kiri get you something to drink." She called Kiri, and Yueh turned her attention back to Niet. 

Kneeling next to the bed as Arashi had done, Yueh sighed deeply. "I...sorry, Niet." She shook her head, bangs gently waving from side to side. "I never meant--" 

"Not your fault." The sudden voice made Yueh jump. Niet was awake and beginning to sit up, albeit slowly. Yueh leaned back, and Niet gave a wild grin, eyes half closed. "It was Ben's." Niet laughed, and after a few short seconds, Yueh did as well. 

_Sometimes...we really should laugh_. 


	16. Choco Choco Chocobo!

**Well well well, onto chapter 16, and I'm not even near halfway done...kinda pathetic, if you think about it. Anyway, I've noticed the chapters have been getting longer, closer to 2000 words rather than my previous average of 1500. You guys get 500 more words per chapter! Aren't I wonderful? ^_~;; Thanks go out to UA, Saito, all y'all who are reading (and reviewing too), the guy on AIM who makes me write more by bugging me (::takes the Sake jug and smacks him::), and everyone else, just because I feel like it. ^_^ Also, I have some pics of the characters up on my little art site (some of which spoil the plot a tad), which is at http://www.side7.com/art/ariwood/gallery.html . Lesse, what else...oh! FFX, etc, is © 2001 Squaresoft, and don't sue me--I have no money. ^_^;;; And on with the story! Ikimashou!**

Only a day later, Niet was up and about, Ben was hobbling along quite well on crutches, Yueh had progressed on her flute-fighting skills by at least ten-fold, and Arashi kept busy by tending to the others who needed her help. 

"And the last is taken care of," Arashi announced with a weak smile. Patting the young girl she had just healed on the head, she stood slowly and exited what had been designated within the past day as the "healing hut." In other words, it was one of the few huts that had remained upright after the Chocobo Eater attack. 

Yueh helped Arashi through the village. All the healing within the past 24 hours had made her rather weak, weaker than Arashi really wanted to admit. This was the first time she hadn't refused Yueh's help to get around. 

_At least no one died here_, Yueh thought with a sigh. _Too bad we hadn't been on the coast to help_. Her mind occupied, she didn't notice Niet jog over, grinning so much it probably hurt. Yueh steadied Arashi before she even asked anything. "Why are you so happy?" 

Niet giggled, but all Yueh saw was the bright red scar on her shoulder. _It really was my fault_... 

"The villagers--they're giving us a gift!" 

Arashi blinked, her glasses sliding down her nose. Taking her hand off from around Yueh's shoulders, she tried to stand herself up straight. "A gift?" 

Niet continued laughing and began to tug Arashi towards the temple. "Come on, they want to show you two, too!" She gently pulled Arashi along, and Yueh followed close behind. 

_A gift? After this disaster?_

Niet led them behind the temple, where at least half the village, including Kiri, Kihou, and Ben, were waiting. Beside them stood a small covered wagon, like the kind the old pioneers had used, with the exception that the cloth had been dyed a more pleasant light blue rather than the plain cream color the pioneers had most likely used. The other difference was what was hitched to the wagon. 

"Chocobos?" Arashi stepped up to one of them and reached out a hand hesitantly. To her surprise, it leaned its beak into her hand and squealed happily. Smiling, she patted its beak lightly before turning to the villagers. "For us?" 

"The wagon and supplies as well, Lady Arashi," Kihou explained, giving a bow. "The least we could do for your helping us out with the fiend's attack." Some of the villagers whooped and shouted excitedly. "And for all the healing you have done for us." 

"Ben wouldn't have survived, if you hadn't been here," Kiri said, patting Ben on his bandaged head. He winced slightly, but tried to act tough. 

"Ah, I woulda been fine," he said, leaning heavily on his crutches. Kiri gave him a look and he laughed nervously. "Uh, but still, you helped tremendously. Thanks." He gave a sharp nod, which it seemed to Yueh that he immediately regretted doing. Kiri gave a short giggle. 

_He wouldn't have fought if we hadn't been here_. Yueh smiled along with Arashi and Niet. "Thank you very much. It will make travel much quicker." All three gave a bow. Arashi did so shakily, but managed to remain standing without anyone's help. 

"I don't suppose you can stay for another day?" Kiri asked hopefully. Yueh shook her head. 

"We must get going, I'm afraid." _I don't want another disaster to happen_. "The Calm awaits us." Yueh nearly grimaced. _That sounded horribly cheesy_. 

"Then we wish you well, Lady Arashi and guardians," Kihou said. He gave a Yevon bow, as did everyone present (except Ben, who couldn't with his crutches in the way). Yueh and Niet helped Arashi into the back of the wagon, and Yueh hopped in with her. Niet took the front seat, deciding to try her hand at driving the wagon. 

"And hup! Away we go!" Niet tapped the Chocobos with the reins and they started off at a light pace. As they left, Arashi and Yueh waved from the back of the wagon, the small town disappearing behind them. 

Arashi decided to take a nap in the back, so Yueh took the map and sat up by Niet to help navigate. The map still had a flashing dot that corresponded to their current location, which, needless to say, was a great help. Yueh was busy trying to plot a course when she heard a shout behind her. She tapped Niet on the shoulder. "Stop the wagon." 

"Huh?" 

"Hey! Lady Arashi! Lady--Arashi!" Niet slowed the wagon to a halt and peeked around the edge of the wagon. She paused and didn't say a word until Yueh tapped her again. 

"Who is it?" 

Niet turned to Yueh, shaking her head and laughing. "Its Ben." 

"Lady Arashi!" It was Ben, crutches tied to his back and riding a chocobo. He pulled up beside Niet and gave a sharp nod. "Niet, Yueh...where is Lady Arashi?" 

Yueh went to peek into the wagon, but a loud snore confirmed her suspicions. "Sleeping." She neatly rolled up the map. "What's up, Ben? We forget something?" 

"Nah. I, ah, I--" His face went bright red, and his chocobo moved slightly underneath him. "I wanted to come with. You know--I mean, you guys have to go to New Luca, right?" 

Yueh snorted, trying to stop herself from laughing. She vaguely remembered a certain menu choice back on the save sphere at her house. "Don't tell me they have Blitzball?" 

Ben's face somehow managed to turn an even brighter red. "Apparently, they do. I kinda wanted to watch, and I figured, 'Hey, might as well have company when I travel, right?' So, ah..." He gave a shrug then winced, laughing. "Here I am!" 

"Why would anyone want to even watch that?" Niet asked rhetorically. "Its like the most boring sport I've ever heard of." She started up the chocobos again, still at a rather light pace. Ben's chocobo kept up, and he and Yueh continued conversing. 

"There's apparently a tournament happening within the next week or two, and I'd really like to see Blitzball played out in real life." At Yueh's silence, he went on nervously. "I mean, you guys knew it was a game, too, right? After that whole Chocobo Eater fight thing and the conversation with the non-turn based battle system, I just assumed…" 

"Oh, we knew it was a game and all." Yueh frowned. "It just…came to life, unfortunately." She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, listening to the quiet squeaking of the wagon as it moved along. "And we have to take care of it." 

"So you'd better not slow us down," Niet informed him. Ben laughed. 

"I know, I know. The whole pilgrimage thing." He waved a hand. "I won't. But, you know, I really wonder how Sin came here..." 

"I'm sure it was just an accident," Yueh spilled out quickly. She unfurled the map once more and pulled it tight to stare at it. "Whatever brought it here, I'm sure will take it away just as quickly." 

Ben went into a shocked silence. When he finally spoke, it was quiet and broken. "I--did I say something wrong? Is Ara--Lady Arash--" He sighed. "Can I call her Arashi? The whole Lady thing was only so Kihou and Kiri didn't yell at me." 

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind," Yueh said curtly, still under the guise of studying the map. She pointed out the blinking dot to Niet and said, "We should turn left sometime soon, we're heading in the wrong direction." Niet took a glance at it and nodded. 

Ben, feeling rather dejected, tried once more to spark up conversation. "So, where to next? Eventually Luca, yeah, but I mean, right now where are we headed to?" 

"New Kilika." _Wonder how Sin came here...how many others wonder?_ She gazed at the map, sighing. _How many others are going to find out?_ Yueh finally rolled the map back up and tossed it in the wagon next to Arashi. 

Ben coughed. "I'll just...ah...scout out ahead, how about that?" Yueh nodded vaguely, her mind still lost in thought. Ben nodded in return and went out about twenty feet ahead of the wagon. 

"Now we have a tag along," Niet said, groaning. 

"Only until New Luca," Yueh pointed out, staring off into the distance. She turned to Niet. "Besides, maybe it'll help to have someone else to talk to. Someone...outside of our situation." 

"You mean someone who doesn't have any connection to the whole release of Sin deal?" Niet asked quietly, keeping her eyes on the road in front of her. Yueh winced, and Niet put her head down for a moment. "Sorry. You know what I mean. And besides, it really wasn't your fault." 

"If I hadn't tried to summon Valefore, none of this would have happened, Niet." Yueh sighed once more. "None of this." 

"You didn't know that summoning Valefore would bring all that with it," Niet reasoned. "Heck, if I found some stone that let me do that kind of stuff, I never would have thought that--" 

"It doesn't matter." Yueh crawled into the wagon and moved some of the parcels around to make more space for herself. Amidst shuffling, she went on. "I'm taking a nap. Wake me up when we stop for the night." 

Niet blinked. "But--" 

"I'll take first watch." She pulled out a blanket and laid a few feet away from Arashi. "Night, Niet." 

Niet shook her head with a chuckle. "Good night, Yueh." 

*-*-*-*-* 

"Lady Mariana, I've been meaning to ask you..." 

Genki's voice cut through the night in the small inn room. Mariana opened her eyes and pushed away her loose brown hair from her face to stare at Genki from across the room. She sat up slowly, clutching her sheets to her chest. 

"What is it, Genki?" _You insufferable idiot?_

Genki was not in his bed, but rather, he was pacing back and forth next to the bathroom door. He paused as he addressed her once more. "Lady Mariana, you never did tell me, what you say when you sleep, what it means." He crossed the room and sat on the bed that was currently unoccupied. "I would like to know." 

_So he finally got up enough courage to ask_. Mariana threw her legs over the side of the bed so her toes grazed the wooden floor lightly. Glancing at Genki, she took a deep breath. "You'd like to know?" 

Genki's eyelids fluttered. "Uh, y-yeah, yes," he stuttered. Mariana took another deep breath. 

"My story..." She let out a sharp chuckle, a laugh without happiness. "This is my story, then, is it?" She let the sheet drop from her chest and straightened out her silk nightgown. "My story…" 

Genki coughed lightly, trying to keep his eyes on Mariana's face. "Y-yes, my Lady." 

She smiled sadly, for the first time seeming to have some weakness, some sort of soul behind her coldness. "I'll tell you my story, Genki. But, not tonight." She turned away from Genki and pulled the covers back up over her as she lay down again. "I promise, Genki. Tomorrow, on the road, we'll talk." Closing her eyes and shutting back tears, she whispered, "Tomorrow." 

Genki's eyes flashed in the night, but he finally released a breath and lay down himself on the other bed. 

"Tomorrow…right." 


	17. Revelations of a Mage

**Sorry this chapter took so freaking long. I just got major writer's block, then add in schoolwork and...well, oy. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter--and no, Ben won't be sticking around past Luca, so don't get incredibly attached to him. :-P And I'm not going to kill him. I'm not fond of killing characters. ^_^;;; So! Any suggestions, e-mail me at ara-lai@excite.com , and if you feel like it, review. So! On with the story! ^_^ Enjoy!**

Yueh awoke only when her head hit the inside of the wagon with a resounding "thunk." Rubbing her head, she sat up, blinking. 

It was night outside, and crickets could be heard chirping through the thick fabric walls. Arashi was not inside, and she heard voices from the front of the wagon. Yueh crawled up through the front and peeked out into the darkness. 

Arashi, Niet, and Ben were sitting around a rather large fire, each sipping from a bowl of soup. Yueh slipped out the front with a yawn and sat in-between Niet and Arashi. Niet leaned forward and grabbed an empty bowl and small wooden spoon. Handing it to Yueh, she settled back in her seat. 

"Soup's in the kettle." She slurped some of her own soup down and gave a nod towards Ben. "Turns out Ben here can actually cook." Ben gave a snort into his own soup bowl. 

"Of course I can--" 

"Nice to know he's good for something on this trip," Yueh said with a short chuckle. Ben glared. 

"I'm good for more than that!" Ben shouted madly. Yueh scooped out some of the broth into her bowl and sat back next to Arashi, grinning. Ben tried to stand, but his crutches got in his way and he toppled over into the dirt, his soup bowl falling to the ground and spilling its contents next to him. Niet and Yueh laughed wildly while Arashi set down her bowl and went to help him back up with a small giggle. 

"Please, Ben, calm down," Arashi said, sitting him back up and refilling his bowl. "They didn't mean anything." She smiled. "We're just...trying to have some fun." 

"Yeah, before--" Niet stopped herself and coughed. "Well, anyway..." 

Yueh tried to ignore Niet's comment and instead took a sip of soup. The pleasant taste surprised her greatly. "This--this is good!" 

Ben blushed and took another slurp of his own soup. "Kiri taught me." 

Arashi nodded and went back to her own seat. "Perfect person to learn from." 

The only sound heard for quite some time after that was the sipping of soup and the quiet chirping of insects. Ben finally spoke, breaking the silence with quite a large question. 

"Why are you a summoner?" 

All three girls were silent, and Yueh let out a sigh. She finished up her soup and set the bowl and spoon down next to her. 

"Yueh, I can tell him," Arashi began. Yueh shook her head and put out a hand to stop her. 

"Its...its my fault, I'll tell him." She sighed again. "If he's traveling with us, I suppose we shouldn't have any secrets." Even big ones like this, I guess. 

Ben frowned. "Your fault? What's your fault?" 

Yueh stared into the fire blankly, her soup bowl sitting forgotten in her lap. 

"Sin." 

There was another long silence. Ben blinked his eyes slowly and stuttered. "S-sin?" 

"Yueh, we can tell him, you don't have to--" 

"Its my fault." Yueh shook her head. "I should be the one to explain it." 

Ben looked utterly confused. "How could Sin be your fault? I mean, if anything, its Square's for making it up, right?" He gave a shrug. "Maybe it was a parallel universe--" 

Yueh held up the dolphin jewel that hung around her neck. It glinted lightly in the firelight. "This...this is what helped. This is why we can cast magic, among other things." 

"But...some of the others could cast magic." 

Yueh thought for a moment. "Only after eating the spheres, right?" Ben nodded. "We could cast magic from the get-go, and very strongly." 

"She could cast Thundaga right away," Arashi added. 

"I found this rock a while ago," Yueh began, "and found I could cast magic and bring things from video games to life..." 

And Yueh began her own story, from the incident with her brother's cooking, the evil psychiatrist, the save sphere, and all the way up to arriving at New Besaid. At the end, after nearly an hour of explaining, Yueh awaited Ben's reaction quietly. 

He took a deep breath, and Yueh figured Ben was choosing his words carefully. Brushing the hair out of his eyes, he opened his mouth, then closed it once more. "I--" He paused. "You didn't wish Sin here, you wished Valefore here." He tried to laugh, but it came out rather forced. "Who would have thought that it would do that?" 

"The question that still runs through my mind," Yueh began, thinking out loud, "is why it took Sin along with it?" 

"That's not important right now," Arashi said quickly. She stood up and stretched her arms. "We will defeat Sin, and that requires a good night's rest." She began gathering everyone's bowls and put them in a small bucket of water next to the fire. "So, Yueh can take the first watch, Niet, you take the second." 

"What about me?" Ben asked. 

"You wouldn't help much, with your leg hurting like that," Arashi said. "Niet and I can sleep in the wagon, and Niet--" Arashi giggled. "I, rather, can set up a tent for you." Arashi and Niet went to fetch the tent, leaving Yueh and Ben alone by the fire. 

"I'm sorry this happened to you," Ben said very quietly. Yueh looked up at him from across the fire. 

"What?" 

"I'm sorry that this had to happen to you," he repeated. "It wasn't your fault, and...and your secret is safe with me." He gave a sharp nod and his hair fell in his eyes once more. 

"I..." Yueh gave him a small smile. "Thank you." 

I can still fix this. I will fix this. 

*-*-*-*-* 

In the morning, the four set out once more, Ben on his chocobo out front, Niet and Yueh steering and navigating the wagon, and Arashi peeking out between the two from inside the covered wagon. They talked of small things, like old video games and the like, never once mentioning Sin and their current situation. It was like it was understood that no one wanted to discuss it again until absolutely necessary, so they all remained mum about the subject. 

They traveled with little incident for two days, and had just reached the desert early the third morning. The problem was with the wagon. 

"Its...not...working that...well!" 

Niet was trying to dig out the wheels from the soft sand of the desert landscape, while Yueh tried to ease the chocobos further forwards to pull it out. It wasn't working, to say the least. 

"Maybe we should take some things out?" Yueh suggested. She only received a few angry grunts from Niet as a reply. Sighing, she went back to pushing the chocobos slowly forward. 

Arashi scooted herself out front and took the reins from Yueh. Yueh began to protest, but Arashi turned around and shouted out to Niet. "Hop in! I have an idea!" 

"Nani?" 

"Just get in!" 

Niet did so, and Yueh watched as a wild grin came across the summoner's face. A whirl of magic surrounded her, the wagon, the chocobos, and Ben and his chocobo standing nearby. 

"Hya!" 

The wagon and Ben's chocobo took off with a start, gliding across the sands with such speed you could barely see anything go by you on the outside. Yueh was flung into the wagon, and Arashi barely managed to hang on herself. She laughed over the wind, and gave a sharp, joyful scream when the wagon hit a large hill of sand and sent everyone a foot in the air. 

"What did she do?" Niet shouted over the wind. 

"I guess--Haste!" Yueh yelled back, beginning to laugh herself. 

For the moment, all three girls and their male companion completely forgot about Sin, about Aeons and fiends, Fayth, and everything. Instead, they were just four teenaged kids, enjoying a wild ride through the desert, laughing and shouting as they hit bumps and valleys that sent them flying. 

When the Haste spell finally wore off, they had arrived at their next stop: the slightly larger town of New Kilika. The first person to greet them there was none other than-- 

"O'aka! How nice to see you again!" Arashi greeted, waving a hand at him. O'aka turned his head and gave a great grin when he saw Yueh and her sitting out on the front of the wagon. Niet was busy trying to put everything back in its place in the rear of the wagon. 

"Is that...the O'aka?" Ben asked, as quietly as he could from his position on his chocobo. 

"Its his son, I guess," Yueh said, shrugging. "O'aka the 24th, he said." 

Ben paused. "Oh." 

"'Ello, Lady Arashi! 'Ow are you this fine day?" Arashi pulled the wagon to a stop right next to O'aka and he gave a large bow. "Doing well, I hope? 'Ow is the pilgrimage?" 

"Its doing wonderfully, O'aka. Your map has helped us tremendously." At this point, Yueh nudged Arashi. "What?" 

"We should probably pull all the way into the village first, Arashi," Yueh pointed out. Arashi's eyes blinked rapidly as she nodded. 

"Oh. Right." She jogged the reins lightly and the chocobos trotted forward at a human's walking pace. Presumably, she wanted O'aka to be able to keep up with the wagon. "How's business, O'aka?" 

"Wonderful, Milady!" O'aka said, grinning. "When I tol' people that a summoner trusted me wares, plenty o' them handed o'er gil!" He suddenly blushed. "I, ah, 'ope you don't mind, me usin' Milady as a, ah..." 

"Testimonial?" 

"Righ', righ'. Thank ye kindly." 

"He has a worse accent than his father," Ben noted, leaning next to Yueh. "I'm having a hard time getting what he's saying." 

Yueh let out a chuckle. "Arashi seems to be doing just fine with it." 

At this point, Niet popped out from the back. "Please tell me we're spending the night here? I want a bed." She rested her chin on the border between the inside of the wagon and the back of the "seat" where one directed the chocobos from. "With a real pillow. And some more eggrolls..." She licked her lips. "And teriyaki..." 

Yueh's stomach let out a rumble. "Now you're making me hungry." Yueh tapped Arashi lightly on the shoulder, interrupting what seemed to be a rather boring conversation about different advertisement styles. "I think we should get some food." 

"Ah, then Milady and 'er guardians would be pleased t'know that th'best cook 'ere 'appens to be a frien' o' mine!" O'aka said suddenly with another smile. "Jus' as good as lil' Kiri back in New Besaid!" 

Niet perked up at this. She took her head off the border. "Really?" She scrambled out of the wagon and managed to find space to sit on the outside of it, pushing Arashi and Yueh to the very edges of their seats. "Do, ah, do they make eggrolls? And teriyaki?" Yueh rolled her eyes and giggled. Whenever we get into a town...she asks about food. 

O'aka let out a laugh as well. "So ye also liked Kiri's food, eh? Good taste ye have there! An' it just so 'appens that she does, Guardian! She'll be more than 'appy to accomodate ye, I'm sure. Park your wagon o'er 'ere, and I'll go talk to 'er." With that, O'aka jogged off into one of the nearby wooden huts. 

"Food food food," Niet said, jumping down from the wagon. "Food!" 

"You sound like you haven't eaten in weeks, Niet," Arashi said, trying not to smile. 

Ben dismounted and tied his chocobo (with a little help from Yueh) next to the two that pulled the wagon. He seemed confused. 

"What is it?" Yueh finally asked. 

"Do you guys _always_ get free food?" 

Yueh snorted, trying very, very hard not to laugh. "Yeah, why?" 

"Uh, can I be a, um, temporary guardian?" he asked quietly. His stomach growled. "I'm, uh, kinda hungry." 

Yueh patted Ben on the head, giving him a "pity" look. "I'm sure they'll feed you, too, Ben." Shaking her head and laughing quietly, she followed Arashi and Niet into the hut where O'aka had disappeared. 

Ben blinked. Struggling with his crutches, he hobbled forwards as fast as he could. "Hey! Wait for me!" 


	18. Sinspawn Does Not Taste Good

**Just in time for Thanksgiving! XD I was talking to the guy who always pesters me about new chaps, and I thought, hey, maybe I can finish one up for today! Well, here it is, by requests of...well, a lotta people I talked to tonight, lol. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! And for those of you who don't celebrate it, well, happy normal Thursday! ^_^ And so, without further ado...**

"Good food, good beds..." Niet fondly patted the cot she was laying on. Leaning back, she sighed happily. "Ah, what more could a guardian ask for?" 

"A fully functioning leg," came Ben's voice from the other side of the blanket divider. He peeked around the very edge of it. "How about that?" 

"Oh, hush, and quit peeking!" Niet snapped the blanket back into place with a growl. "The blanket's there for a reason, perv." 

"I wasn't--you weren't even--" 

"As far as your leg is concerned," Arashi interrupted, "its getting better much quickly than I thought it would. At least you have feeling back in it." Arashi gave Yueh a smile, as if to say, "Everything's going to be all right." Yueh was on her own bed, staring up at the ceiling, so she didn't notice. 

_What more could a guardian ask for? How about for Sin to disappear?_ Yueh was then aware that Arashi was addressing her. She turned her head slightly to the side. "Hm?" 

"I said, we'll go to the temple in an hour, so don't get too comfortable." Smiling, she went to leave the room. "We three will go, and Ben can stay here and hold down the fort." 

Ben threw back the curtain once more. "Why can't I come with?" 

Niet jumped up and gave Ben a nice thwap across the face before returning the curtain to its former position. "You're as bad as Keitaro Urashima! Next time ask permission! Baka!" 

Arashi turned back, laughing. "Maybe we ought to leave now?" 

*-*-*-*-* 

Along the Djose Highroad, which was in the deep south of Oregon now, Mariana and Genki trudged along in the sunset's red light. They had been walking at a much slower pace for the past few days, otherwise, by Genki's calculations, at least, they would have been past the Moonflow, perhaps even in Guadosalam. 

Mariana finally sat down next to the fork in the road. She let out a sigh and leaned back against one of the rocks. Genki hesitated before plopping down next to her and removing his overlarge backpack with a grunt. 

"Milady--" 

"You'd like to hear my story." 

Her sudden interruption left Genki with his mouth hanging open. She gave a small, deep chuckle. "Barely even two weeks of knowing you, Genki, and already I can tell what you are going to ask of me next." 

A flicker of impatience crossed Genki's face. "Are you sure its not because I've been asking you for the past few days, Milady?" 

"I'm sorry, Genki, but I do not think you are ready to hear my story." 

This time, Mariana knew she saw it. Genki's patience had worn through completely. "Milady, just three days ago, you said--" 

"It was late, Genki, and I was very tired." She gave him a short glare, her old personality finally returning to its fullest. "I said it to make you quit pestering me." Smiling as Genki's mouth hung open, she stood up and brushed off her skirt with three short gestures. "Now, I believe I have another Aeon to get, so, let's get a move on." She marched forward, leaving Genki in a small cloud of dust. 

He coughed and gave a small glare of his own towards Mariana's back as she left. Wiping the dust that had settled on his face away, he stood up and began packing everything back on his back. He mumbled to himself as he finally got everything settled. 

"Genki! Hurry up! We don't have long before nightfall!" Mariana's sharp voice hurt his ears, and he let out a sigh. 

"Why did I ever..." Shaking his head, he jogged ahead and went to follow his Lady Mariana. 

*-*-*-*-* 

"This gets really boring really quickly," Niet said, finally putting down her book. She stood up and began stretching next to the small step in front of the Fayth's Chamber. "I always wondered why it takes so long to get an Aeon." Niet then went ahead with cracking her knuckles. The cracks echoed throughout the hallway, making Yueh wince. 

"Yeurgh, that sounds horrible! Cut it out!" she shouted. Yueh had been pacing about the room for at least an hour and now had plopped herself down upon the step in front of the Chamber where Niet had just been. "This is taking too long, though..." 

"How long does it normally take?" Ben's voice bounced off the walls even more than Niet's knuckle-cracking had. He was currently leaning against the far wall, reading an old book that the New Besaid villagers had tossed into the wagon. He flipped a page and kept his eyes on the book. 

"The last time it only took, oh, twenty minutes or so," Yueh said. She was fingering notes on her flute as she sat, running through one of her attack melodies in her mind. "This length of time is making me nervous." 

"Wake me up when she gets out, will ya?" Niet laid herself out on the floor with a yawn, using her book as a pillow. "Its getting too late." 

The door to the Chamber slowly rumbled open, and Arashi strode out calmly. Her goggles were around her neck, as they usually were after she visited the Fayth, and her glasses were in the V-neck of her shirt. Niet and Yueh quickly stood up, but Ben struggled to reach his crutches, which abruptly fell over and became out of his reach. 

"How are you doing, Arashi?" Yueh asked. She put a hand lightly on Arashi's shoulder, testing her strength to hold herself up. "You ready to go back?" 

Arashi simply nodded, breathing deeply and carefully. "Yes. Quite." Her voice was breathier than normal, Yueh noted. Maybe that's why Yuna always sounded out of breath. Yueh watched her closely as Arashi limped out of the hall, stepping gingerly over Ben's fallen crutches. Niet kicked the crutches over to Ben and followed her out of the hall. Struggling to stand up, Ben shouted after them. 

"Wait for me! Hey! Wait--crap, stupid, cra--WAIT!" Going as fast as he could on the crutches, he caught up to the girls, only to find that perhaps he was going a bit too fast. His crutches went out of control, and he toppled forward onto Niet's back. This, of course, caused a domino effect, with Niet knocking over Yueh and Yueh falling onto Arashi, who fell to the ground with a deep thud and a groan. 

The four stayed there for a moment, Ben too embarrassed to move, and the others who couldn't move due to the weight upon them. Finally Niet took her book and reached around her back to smack Ben on the head. 

"Ow!" Ben sat up, off of Niet's legs, and rubbed his forehead, wincing. Niet brushed his crutches off of her back and went to help the others up. "What was--I didn't--" 

"You did it, though, and--" 

Screams came through the dank stone walls up ahead, and everyone froze. Ben scrambled back up and hobbled forward without his crutches. 

"Your leg works?" Yueh was still helping Arashi get up, but had definitely noticed Ben walking without the click-clack noise of crutches. 

Ben flexed his bad leg around a little. "Kind of. I think I--" 

The shouts and screams from outside increased. Yueh's question remained unanswered, and all four teens ran out of the Cloister of Trials, carefully down the stairs, and out of the temple. Awaiting them outside, attacking the villagers, and generally causing mayhem was another Sinspawn, which had sprung up from the earth itself. 

Niet was flipping through her book already while Arashi, Yueh, and Ben readied their weapons. "Sin...spawn...sinspawn Geneaux! Four tentacles--" She looked up from the book and snorted. "Well, that's obvious. Anyway! Weakness to fire, the tentacles absorb magical attacks on the main body, and it gains health if you use water! 3000 HP on the body, and 450 per tentacle!" She again tossed the book aside on the main step to the temple and removed her rapier. 

Arashi put her glasses back on and gave a nod to Yueh. 

"All right. Let's go!" Yueh headed up the charge on them, with Ben slowly bringing up the rear as he limped along. Two of the tentacles reached for Niet, and she quickly rolled around them and sliced the very tips of them off. The thing roared wildly, and the tentacles reared back. 

"That'll teach you! Nyaa!" Niet barely had time to get this out before the tentacles had come back for another round. 

As Niet fenced with the first two tentacles, Ben was poking at the third one, mainly working on not getting hit himself. His leg still wasn't up to par. 

_At least he's not dead, Yueh, remember that,_ Yueh chided herself. She casted a quick Fira on the last tentacle, which shriveled up and crumbled. Unfortunately, the dust from the dried tentacle hit Yueh right in the face. She spit as much of it out as she could, and began silently cursing the wind. "Watch out for the dust from the tentacles! It--" She coughed loudly. "It tastes bad...ergh." Yueh went into another coughing fit. 

"I'll finish this!" Arashi began her dance, dodging one of the tentacles that had originally gone after Niet. She ended with her belt outstretched in front of her, and a small flame fell from the moon-shaped charm onto the ground. Yueh recognized it immediately, before the Aeon even popped up from the ground seconds later. 

"Ifrit..." 

Arashi had flown in the air along with the ground that had been scattered upon Ifrit's arrival. Just as Yuna had always done, Arashi landed gently on Ifrit's one outstretched arm before both touched the ground. Arashi pumped an arm in the air after she had gotten out of his way. 

"Dante! When it goes into its final form, give it a good couple of tackles!" 

"Two tentacles left, Arashi! And--" Yueh watched as Niet sliced off the rest of the first tentacle. "One left! Get ready!" 

"Here Ben, lemme help!" Niet shoved the struggling young man out of the way and took the brunt of the last tentacle's attack. It grabbed her around her waist and held her high above the earth. Niet wasn't at all scared, Yueh noticed. She simply stabbed the thing right below where it had her held with a determined look on her face. It dropped her quickly as it shriveled up, and she landed with her knees bent and one hand on the ground. 

"I coulda done that..." Ben trailed off, poking his sword into the ground. Suddenly, the whole earth around them began to shake as the Sin spawn began to rise from the dirt it had been embedded in. Ben's sword was the only thing that kept him up, but the others managed to stay standing on their own. When it rose to its full height, the two armored plates opened and revealed the weak insides of the fiend. 

"Dante, ikimashou!" Arashi pointed to Geneaux. "Ganbatte!" 

"Dante?" Yueh said to herself. She yelled across to Arashi. "You named it Dante?" 

"I always name him Dante!" Arashi shouted over his roar. The ground rumbled as he ran forward and whammed into the insides of the fiend. There was a great fire that arose on its insides as Dante made contact, and he jumped back to reveal the fiend burning up. A damage amount rose up from the Sin spawn--2358. 

"Yatta! Dante, yoku dekimashita!" Arashi sent him off with a flourish and turned to Yueh. "Can you do a Fira?" She gave a quick glance at Geneaux, who was still aflame and screeching. "That should finish it off." 

Yueh stepped up, giving a smile. "I can do better than that!" Putting her flute to her lips, she began the tune she had been practicing earlier. A few seconds into it, she stopped suddenly and shouted. "Firaga! Do your worst!" She blew one final note, which released the attack from her flute's end. 

The red flame shot out in a straight line, piercing through the fiend and ending its time at that moment. It began to dissolve into pyreflies, and the four adventurers came together in the center of the square. 

"We got it before it did any major damage," Arashi said proudly. She smiled and began to help Ben back to the inn hut were she and the guardians were resting. Niet followed, teasing Ben for not being able to take care of the last tentacle. 

Yueh smiled, and surveyed the area, letting the wind that was blowing lightly move her hair slowly across her face. She didn't even spit it out when it got in her mouth. 

_So little damage_… She closed her eyes and let the setting sun's warm light shine on her face. _We fixed it, this time…we can do it. We really can_… 

_And we will_. 


	19. Let's Blitz!

**Whee! And another chapter down--er, up, either way, really. ^_^;; Depends on which way you look at it, but ANYWAY. I just want to say thanks and ::HUG:: to EVERYONE who has reviewed! You guys make me soooooo happy when you do that! ^_^ Seriously, just ask Saito or UA. ^_^;; Anyhoo, I do read the reviews, and, per such, I still can't have Ben as a main character with them forever and ever (GOMEN!!!), however, I think that maybe, just MAYBE, he'll be a recurring character, kinda like O'aka. ^_~ Ask and maybe ye shall receive, ne? ^_^ Well, on with the story! Yeeeeehah!**

Mariana had made the decision to leave Djose temple in the middle of the night, despite both Genki's and the temple's priest's protests to at least rest for a little while. As soon as Mariana had gained the next Aeon, she pulled Genki, whining all the while, and strode out of the temple. Genki had put up a rather weak fight, due to the fact that he hadn't gotten any rest within the past 24 hours or so. He almost fell asleep as she dragged him, much to Mariana's own dismay. He really had become a load... 

Finally, Mariana had reached the point she had rushed so much to get to. Staring across the water, she shook poor Genki awake. He grumbled something unintelligibly before opening his eyes. When they were finally open, they remained so for the longest time. 

"This...I have wanted to see since I was a child." Mariana sat on the water's edge, her now bare feet just grazing the glowing waters below her. Genki shrugged off the humungous backpack and sat next to her. Her demeanor had changed once more, from pushy and angry to that of a happy child. Her eyes simply shone as she watched the pyreflies flutter around the Moonflow. "This place was always in my dreams, but...never as beautiful as this." 

Genki let out a happy, tired sigh. "I always wondered what it would look like myself, I guess." 

A long stretch of silence came between the two, as they just watched the pyreflies move in and out of the water and around each other. Finally, Mariana, her voice very soft, spoke. 

"We'll sleep here tonight." Her eyes never moved from the water in front of her. "No tents." Genki nodded, past trespasses temporarily forgotten, and went to fetch the sleeping bags. 

Mariana's eyes continued to stare across the lake. Tears slowly fell from the corners of her eyes, and she smiled. 

_I finally got here, Mama. I saw it for you_. She quickly wiped away her tears as Genki came bag with the bags. Stretching out on his own, he let out another sigh, looking at the waters. 

"I don't think I'll be able to fall asleep," he said, smiling and closing his eyes. Mariana let out a low chuckle. 

"Neither do I." 

*-*-*-*-* 

"Ah, what a beautiful morning!" 

Yueh took in a deep breath. Perhaps a little too deep. She gave a few coughs as she let out the breath and Arashi giggled. 

"I guess too much air is bad for you," Arashi said, smiling. She was hooking up the two chocobos back into their harnesses while Niet and Ben saddled the third. Finishing, she gave each a small pat on the beak before scrambling up onto the front seat to help drive. "Do we have everything, Yueh?" 

"We didn't take anything out of the wagon, did we?" Yueh ran around the covered wagon and hopped in the back, her eyes checking for everything. She crawled through to the front and gave a thumbs up. 

"Everything's all right here!" Niet shouted out. Ben was trying to get up on his chocobo, but couldn't quite figure out how to now that his crutches were no longer needed. Niet finally sighed and gave him a swift boot in the rear, making him yelp and clutch the neck of his chocobo. 

"Hey! That hurt!" 

Niet grinned. "You're on the chocobo now, aren't you?" Pulling out her rapier, she went on. "At least I didn't hit you with this." Leaving Ben shocked and stuttering, Niet jumped into the back of the wagon and peeked her head through the front. "Ready to go!" She gave a quick peace sign. 

"You didn't need to kick him, Niet," Arashi reprimanded. Niet gave a shrug and simply grinned. Shaking her head and laughing, Arashi lightly tapped the reins on the chocobos sides. "Hup hup! Ikimashou! Onward!" 

The village priest waved farewell as the four went off once more, forward to New Luca and the Blitzball tournament. 

Which, of course, Ben would not shut up about. 

"I always liked Blitzball, no matter what anyone else said." He was looking straight forwards on his chocobo, still looking for threats as they talked. "Raising the stats of the players, winning a bunch of neat stuff in tournaments...man, if my leg weren't still all crappy I'd be playing in it myself! Of course, I need a team, then, don't I?" 

"Won't he ever shut up?" Niet whispered hoarsely. 

"Let him have his fun," Arashi said, smiling kindly. "I don't like Blitzball any more than you do." Giggling, she went on. "Then again, I have the ability to totally tune people out..." 

"I don't think that's a great trait for a summoner to have," Niet said. Ben continued to drone on in the background. 

"I'd be coach, but without Wakka's freaky accent. I don't need to say ya at the end of every sentence to coach, right? But then again, maybe doing that would motivate the team more?" Ben looked like he was deep in thought. "Or would it annoy them? You know..." 

"Hm? What did you say, Niet?" Arashi tried not to smile when Niet began to get all red and freak out. 

"Arashi, I just said that--" Arashi finally burst out laughing, and Niet realized that she was joking. "Aheh, oh..." 

Yueh had been paying attention to the map for the whole time, doing calculations in her head of the amount of time it would take at this pace to get to New Luca. So she didn't quite get why Niet was blushing like mad and Arashi was laughing so hard. She coughed to get their attention. 

"I think we need to go a bit faster, Arashi." Yueh rolled up her arm warmers a bit and held the map out to the other two girls. "At this rate, we're going to take a whole week just to get to New Luca. Think we can, ah, step up the pace a little?" She gave Arashi a wink. "If you know what I mean..." 

"I got it, Yueh. You may want to climb in back first, though." Arashi grinned. "Its time to move!" 

"This'll shut Ben up, I bet," Niet remarked as Yueh climbed in the back with her. Yueh laughed. 

"We can only hope." Loading herself down to the floor of the wagon with their supplies (Niet did the same), Yueh gave a wave to the front. "All ready back here!" Arashi gave a quick nod in return. 

"Hey, Ben!" 

Ben turned his head and gave a quizzical look to Arashi. "What?" 

Yueh could just imagine the grin on Arashi's face right now, and, by the laughter she heard from Niet, Niet was doing the same. Yueh closed her eyes and smiled, waiting for the wagon to jump forward. 

"Hold on to your saddle! Haste!" Arashi flung her free hand down quickly, and the air around their wagon and Ben and his chocobo was filled with the sparkling light of white magic. Arashi's laughter could barely be heard over the chocobo's trampling talons and Ben's rather high-pitched screaming. 

"Arashiiiiii!" 

Yueh pulled out the map again and looked at the now rapidly moving flashing arrow. She grinned. "At this rate, it'll be only two, three days tops!" she shouted. Niet smiled and leaned back, putting her hands behind her head. 

"Three days until more decent food...that I can handle." 

Still laughing, Arashi let out a loud, happy scream as they hit a particularly large bump. Yueh noticed pyreflies floating up from the rear of the wagon as they went past it. 

"Nothing like Sin spawn roadkill, eh?" Niet said, closing her eyes. 

Yueh let out a happy sigh, which couldn't be heard over Ben's screaming. "Nothing like it..." 

*-*-*-*-* 

They managed to reach New Luca within the three day estimate that Yueh had put down that day. They got there on the third day, around sunset, and had gotten the "preferential" treatment all summoner's parties got. Despite the fact that the inns in the immediate vicinity had previously been booked, the largest one in the city kicked out three young men in one room and a Blitzball team captain from another to accommodate them. The girls felt rather bad about this, but Ben was rather indifferent towards the whole situation. 

In fact, he had plopped down in his room's bed and let out such a loud sigh that the girls could hear it from their own room. Only seconds afterwards, snoring could easily be heard coming from his room. 

"How pleasant," Niet commented, pretending to clean out one of her ears. 

"No worse than Arashi," Yueh said, giggling. Arashi gave Yueh a small look. "Hey, its true!" 

Arashi sighed. "I know, unfortunately. Anyway," she pulled out a small, blue, folded piece of paper and began to read it, "the Blitzball festivities start tonight with the 8:00 Blitz Bowl. The, ah, New Luca Runners versus the New Kilika Kickers." 

"Lovely names," Yueh said. 

"Does that mean we have to wake up snoring boy over there?" Niet said, giving a quick nod towards the room next door. "If its this loud in here, I don't want to know how loud it is in there." She winced as Ben let out a particularly loud snort. "We'd go deaf." 

"I'll zap him with some lightning," Yueh said, waving a hand. A loud bell rang, 8 times total, and Arashi gave a short nod. Yueh begrudgingly went to fetch Ben, while Arashi and Niet went to fetch a good seat. 

Yueh crept into Ben's room, grimacing at the noise Ben was letting out as he slept. Trying to plug her ears at the same time, Yueh let a small bolt of lightning slip from her fingers and onto Ben's backside. He jumped up with a start and let out a yelp. Blinking wildly, he finally saw Yueh standing in front of him. He pointed at her, his mouth hanging open, trying to make out words. 

"Blitzball is starting. We kind of figured you wanted to see it," Yueh said. Ben jumped out of the bed and ran out the doorway past her. 

"Is it--crap! Outta the way! Outta--my--way!" Yueh heard a few screams and quite a few curses as Ben galumphed down the hallway. She winced again as she heard something only identifiable as pottery of some sort crash onto the floor and Ben shout, "Sorry 'bout that!" 

"Why oh why did his leg have to get better so quickly?" Yueh asked to no one in particular. Starting down the hallway, she sighed. "Then again, it could have been worse..." Yueh picked up the pace and followed Ben's trail of destruction down the hallway. Noting that it was a large platter of food Ben had made someone drop, she ran out the doorway to try to find her friends in the overlarge Blitzball stadium. As it turned out, it was a much easier task than she thought. 

"Yueh! Hey, Yueh! Over here!" Niet waved wildly to her, from a row that was front and center to the whole entire water sphere. She jogged lightly to Ben, Arashi, and Niet--the last's arms being filled with stadium vendor food. 

"How much of our money did you spend?" Yueh asked, eyeing the food warily. Niet waved a hand and talked through a particularly large mouthful of hotdog and popcorn. 

"Nufin'! Sinsh Ar'shi's a summ'ner, we get to eat fer free!" Yueh shook her head, and, after Niet scooted over, sat down next to her temporarily Goku-esque friend. 

"At least don't talk with your mouth full," Yueh said, laughing. Niet gave a shrug and went right on gulping down the snacks. Shaking her head, Yueh continued to giggle. Ben quickly waved a hand in front of the two. 

"Zip it! They're starting!" From that point on, Ben's eyes were glued to the sphere. Yueh simply sighed and watched the sphere blankly. 

"Aaaand welcome to the Blitzball Blitz Bowl! The kick-off to the tournament, pitting the two best teams against each other right away!" The announcer's voice blared over loudspeakers, making Yueh's ears ring. It was worse than when she squeaked a high note on her flute. 

"That's right, Bobba, the New Luca Runners and the New Kilika Kickers are certainly two of the best Blitz teams out there right now," another voice rang. "And to make this event even more special, a summoner and her guardians have arrived to watch the game!" 

"Really, Jimma?" 

"That's right, Bobba--Lady Arashi and her guardians have decided to watch the game from the very front row!" Yueh wanted to hide very badly at this point, and, from the looks of it, so did Niet. Arashi, however, continued to sit straight up as if no one had just mentioned very loudly where she was sitting. "So, if you see them, make sure to thank them for stopping along the way!" 

"And on with the game! The Runner's center, Jinni, and the Kicker's center, Kat, will start off the game with the Blitz off..." 

With that, the game began. 


	20. Mog Doll Magic

**And this marks chapter twenty. Thanks to all of you for stickin' with me so far on this. I appreciate everything ('specially reviews and feedback! ^_^)! I checked the words on this chapter, and boy, was I surprised--around 2700 words (without this intro)! w00tage... Anyway. I also want to say that, as the holidays approach, I may be a bit more slow coming with the chapters. I'll admit it--I get lazy around this time of year. ^_^;; So be patient with me!!! Also, I will have a new pic up from the story tonight--of Niet stuffing her face. Gomen, Saito, but it was just ASKING for a picture! XD So, onward we go!**

Yueh had her head in her hands. "Great, now everyone knows we're here..." 

Arashi waved her hand lightly as the Kicker's center got the ball and booked for the opposite goal. "They would have in a short amount of time anyway, Yueh. I'm actually getting used to it." She smiled kindly. "Don't let it ruin the game." 

"I don't think I'll ever get used to it," Yueh commented. This wasn't heard, as the crowd was, as a single entity, wincing and "ooh"ing at a tackle the Kicker's center had received from a teenaged, long brown haired boy. The boy stole the ball from her easily and tossed it from where he floated all the way across the sphere to a teammate, the Runner's center. 

_He's kinda cute_, Yueh thought. _Like...like Solid Snake and Dante crossed or something_. She shook her head, blushing deeply. _I shouldn't be thinking like this..._

"Ooh, nice hit there by Hunter! And a clean pass to Jinni, who shoots and...GOAL! One point for the Runners!" one of the announcers said. Yueh couldn't tell which. The half of the crowd behind the girls and Ben cheered wildly, but across from them, the audience booed. Yueh plugged her ears--the noise was ear shattering. The others seemed unaffected, although she guessed that, at least Niet was preoccupied. 

The game went on for longer than the normal five minutes per half, however, watching them as the exited the sphere pool at halftime, she noticed that they each spit out some small, glowing sphere of some sort. Yueh looked over at her companions. "Did you guys see that?" 

Arashi nodded, while Ben stared blankly across the arena, eagerly awaiting the next half. "Yeah. I think--I mean, I saw it in fanfic once--that they use that for long breath. Very few people can hold their breath for that long, although there is this tribe I heard of in South America or something that can do that, but--" 

"Okey, Ar'shi, bu' wha' ish ih?" Niet asked. A touch of food came out and nearly hit Arashi in the face. Luckily, Arashi was too busy explaining to notice. 

"A bit of magic, like an oxygen supply only without the tank," Arashi explained. "It was in this cute Wakka/Lulu fanfic that I read. Maybe we can go in the sphere after the game?" 

Ben perked up at this and turned his attention to Arashi. "Really? We could?" He began jumping up and down in his seat like a three year old on Christmas morning. "Awesome! We could make our own team, with me as captain of course. And--" 

"Here comes the rush…" Yueh closed her eyes as she felt the people rush by her to greet Arashi and the others, herself included. Most, by some instinct Yueh couldn't comprehend, went straight to Arashi and began shaking her hand and bowing to her. Niet tried to talk with her mouthful, which ended up in a food shower for most of the front row spectators, none of whom seemed to mind. 

One little girl pushed through the crowd and tugged on one of Yueh's red arm warmers. Yueh looked down to see a brown eyed, black haired girl in a pink dress smiling at her. The little girl continued to tug on her arm warmers as she spoke. "Are you a guardian?" 

_She kind of looks like me..._ Yueh smiled back at the little girl. "Yes, I am. I'm Yueh. What's your name?" Like me, before...before... 

"I'm Lily!" The girl hopped up onto Yueh's lap and giggled. "Yueh's a funny name, guardian!" 

Ben stood up and began playing the macho card. He pushed the crowd back from the girls, saying, "All right, all right, that's enough. The Lady Summoner just came to watch the game, people, she'll talk with you later." He shooed the people away, and Arashi shook one last hand before Ben pulled the person away. "Later, people!" 

Yueh shook her head, laughing. Lily looked puzzled and asked, "What is it?" 

"Nothing. You'd better go, before Ben here gets to you," she said, setting Lily down on the ground. Smiling, she went on. "In case I don't see you, take this." Using some of her old magic, she conjured up a mog doll from FFX and handed it to Lily, whose eyes lit up. 

Lily gave a Yevon-style bow with the mog in her hands. "Thank you!" She began to run off, and Yueh could hear her laugh happily as she did. "Thank you, Yueh!" 

Thinking for a moment, Yueh conjured up another mog doll and set it on her lap. I'm a black mage...so why not? She looked over at the others. Ben was finally sitting down, and Arashi was shaking her head and reprimanding him. Niet had gotten more free food from the bystanders, so she was definitely occupied. Yueh stood the mog doll up on her lap, animating it in the same manner Lulu always had. She made it bow, and she laughed. 

"Nice to meet you...Lily." 

*-*-*-*-* 

Mariana had passed on Guadosalam and its star attraction of the Farplane. She had heard of it as a child, and of the Guado, and had never had any desire to see either the Farplane or the Guado who watched over it. She had seen one, once in her life, and she hadn't liked it. 

The boy had seemed human enough. But, his fingers had been too long, though, and his hair was an unnatural blue hue that stuck out in all directions. Lighter blue veins ran through the young boy's face and uncovered chest, along with some tattoos on his chest. And when he spoke... 

Mariana put the boy further out of her mind. She had seen him again, in that wretched game. Too often. Once had been too often for her. 

Genki also seemed rather happy to skip Guadosalam. And, of course, he had told her every single little reason why on the way to their next stop up the coast, the Thunder Plains. 

"...Seymour was creepy, and he was only half Guado! That girly voice--I muted the TV every time the guy came on the screen," Genki said as he tromped along behind his summoner. He shouldered the backpack up higher and gave a grunt. "And Tromell--what a creep! The guy lets him go and totally defies the laws he's supposed to obey by the whole Yevon crock and lets Seymour become an unsent! Even after he finds Seymour killed Lord Jyscal! I mean--" 

"Hush, Genki. We're here." _Thank goodness. My ears couldn't put up with any more of his prattling._ She swept out an arm and pointed to the sparking sky and dark lands before her. "Welcome to the Thunder Plains." 

She had to suppress a smile as she saw Genki gulp. "The Thunder Plains. Right." He tightened his shoulder straps and marched onward dutifully. "Dodging thunder was never something I was good at..." 

Mariana gave a chuckle and followed. "You'll get good at it very quickly. Trust me." She played with her long bangs a bit as she walked along. "Lightning cannot kill you here, but it will hurt quite a bit." She sidestepped as a bolt hit about a foot away from her. "So I suggest you avoid it as well as you can." 

She laughed again as Genki dived from a bolt that was at least five feet to the left of him and hit the dirt. He spit out the bits of earth and stood up, brushing off his pants. 

Mariana did another sidestep as she passed alongside Genki. "That is not the way to dodge it, Genki. You'll learn." 

"I've been following her for who knows how long...I don't think I'll ever learn," Genki mumbled to himself. He trudged along behind Mariana and kept a close watch on the sky. 

*-*-*-*-* 

"And we're back, with the score at 3 to 1 in favor of the New Luca Runners. And here's the Blitzoff..." 

The Runner's center got the ball and tossed it to the brown haired Dante-boy from before. Hunter, Yueh thought his name had been. He swam up to the goal and did a spin kick to where it flew into the other team's goal, making the buzzer go off and starting up the crowd again. 

The boy went to give a teammate a high five when his eyes crossed paths with Yueh's. The two stared at each other for a moment, and the young man went to swim towards her when all heck broke loose. 

Screams of the unhappy kind erupted from all around Yueh, and she soon found out their cause. A large group of fiends had come into the stadium, with the local crusaders following closely and trying to kill them. They were supposed to be guarding the stadium, but somehow the fiends had managed to escape them. It didn't help that most of the "guards" were middle-aged and rather pudgy around the midsection. 

The four companions jumped up. "Of course, this would have to follow the game's story line, now wouldn't it?" Yueh said with a sigh. She took a quick glance back at the sphere, but Hunter and the others were gone now. She set her mod doll in her belt and picked up her flute. 

Niet took one last gulp of popcorn and, after wiping her hands off on her pants, pulled out her rapier. "Ah, a guardian's job is never done, is it? To work!" 

Ben was grumbling as he pulled out his own sword. Yueh was rather happy that she couldn't hear all that he had to say about the situation, as she was sure most of it was less than appropriate. Readying a Thundara spell, she followed Arashi towards the highest platform, from which the announcers had been broadcasting. At the moment, the announcer's screams were amplified over the loudspeakers. 

"Why are we saving their sorry rear-ends?" Yueh asked as they ran through the screaming masses. She shot a Vouivre with Thundara, which was a major overkill. It shattered without another hit, and Yueh kept on running. 

"We're not just trying to save them, we're getting a better vantage point!" Arashi shouted back. "I can do a summon from there, and you can cast magic!" They all dodged another charging Vouivre, which Yueh promptly iced. "Niet, Ben, you two should keep the fiends from attacking us from the rear." It seemed to Yueh that Arashi was a little too short of breath. 

"Got it!" Yueh kept up the attack spells as they ran, shooting ice and thunder left and right. As they reached the stairs, Yueh heard someone shouting out her name. She skidded to a halt on the very bottom step, and Arashi turned back. 

"What is it? Yueh?" 

Yueh searched the tumultuous crowd and saw a small figure in pink waving around a mog doll. She heard the scream again, and the figure was tackled to the ground by yet another Vouivre. Yueh shouted back at Arashi. 

"I'll be back! There's--Lily--" 

"I understand, just go!" Arashi waved her off wildly before running up the stairs with Niet and Ben. Yueh nodded as her friend disappeared up the stairs and ran off to find Lily, who was still screaming. 

She found her huddled against a wall, her dress torn at the bottom hem and a small blood stain near the knees. Lily was crying and clutching her doll tightly to her chest, still screaming for Yueh. Yueh took in a deep breath and threw her own mog doll at the Vouivre to get its attention. "Yo! Baka!" It growled and turned around, stomping a foot on Yueh's mog doll. Yueh winced before going back to coaxing the fiend away from Lily. "That's it! C'mere, you stupid monster!" 

Lily sniffled and stopped crying a moment to glance at Yueh. Standing up using the wall as support, she began to scoot the other way. Yueh looked her way and nodded, agreeing with what Lily was doing. "C'mon, closer, you idiot. Come on..." _A few more feet..._ The fiend began to charge and Yueh shouted a war cry. "Got you!" She ran at it and cast a Blizzaga spell as she went past it. Yueh ran into the wall in her charge, and the Vouivre disapparated in a flurry of pyre flies. Lily flew back to Yueh and jumped in her arms, sobbing and crying. Yueh tried to calm her, patting her on the head and saying reassuring words, but the words were caught in Yueh's throat when she saw what lie before her. 

Five Vouivres, all stamping their feet and growling, stood in a semicircle, surrounding both girls, trapping them against the wall. Suppressing a gulp, Yueh stood herself and Lily upright. The fiends inched closer, and Yueh couldn't help but think they were almost savoring the attack on them. She whispered just loudly enough for Lily to hear over the growling and the other people's screaming. 

"All right...I want you to pretend with me. Pretend you know magic, okay?" She took one of Lily's shaking hands into one of her own. "Cast a spell with me, okay? Aim for all the fiends, and think HARD." Using her other hand, she grasped her flute and played a one handed melody, which ended up a bit mangled, but still worked. Yueh could feel Lily take a deep breath and remove her hand to take full hold of the mog doll. Immediately, Yueh used her now free hand on her flute, and hastened the melody. 

"Fiends!" Lily held up her doll as both it and the flute began to glow a bright white. "Freeze!" 

Yueh released the last note on her flute and screamed. "NOW!" 

Both girls channeled all their energy through their respective weapons, and from both emanated a long string of ice. It shattered upon impact on the first fiend, and made a chain reaction, exploding the others into pyre flies just as well as the first. As the glowing of the fluttering pyre flies died down, Yueh looked over at Lily. 

The drain of magic had been hard on her. Lily had fainted, her mog doll still in hand. Yueh took a deep breath and, just to reassure herself, checked for a pulse. To her great relief, there was a strong heartbeat. A bit slow, but definitely strong. Yueh stuck her flute back in her belt and scooped up Lily in her arms, making sure the doll was still there as well. 

As for Yueh's own doll, which was a bit flattened but otherwise fine from the fiend stomping, she animated it and had it follow at a quick pace to the stair case once more. The screams over the loudspeaker had stopped, and Yueh could hear a low singing coming from every direction. It was in Japanese, as far as she could tell. _It must be Arashi._

Yueh ran up the stairs and was almost tackled by Niet, who was still in battle mode, her paralyzing rapier out and ready. She sheathed it as Yueh jogged up the last few steps. 

"Arashi's summoning." 

Yueh pushed her way past Niet and set Lily gently down on the floor, sitting her up against the only wall in the booth. "I could tell. You can hear her over the loudspeakers." 

Niet, a confused look on her face, shook her head. "No, the speakers...they're off. The only microphones to the speakers are on their heads, and they're both out cold." She pointed to two slumped over figures, most likely Jimma and Bobba. Ben was trying to revive the two, albeit unsuccessfully. Niet let out a stage whisper. "He doesn't know any white magic." 

"Just…maybe they just fainted. They don't look hurt…" 

Niet shook her head and finally saw the little girl Yueh had brought up with her. "Who's she?" 

"Lily, I met her at halftime, and--" Yueh stared across the platform. 

Arashi was standing on absolutely nothing but air, her skirt and hair flaring in the winds that seemed to only affect her. Her singing was still amplified greatly, even without the speakers. 

"What is she doing?" 

Niet stared out across the way, unphazed. "Summoning." 


	21. Parting of Ways

**Finally, another chapter. And a riddle: what do you get when you cross a band concert, precalc homework, and Japanese cards? TOO MUCH TO DO IN THE SPAN OF FIVE HOURS. IE after school. Peh. So, sorry for the late chapter. ^_^;; Its a bit shorter than normal, but you get a bit of backstory on Mariana, I suppose...so, whee! Have fun and read! And in case I don't update before the holidays...Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! w00t!**

Yueh leaned out on the outer wall of the platform and shouted out to Arashi. "Arashi! You--you're--there's no ground beneath you!" She waved wildly to the blond, who was at least ten feet out from the platform. "Arashi!" 

The singing continued on, like Arashi hadn't heard her at all. Niet watched placidly as Arashi remained in mid-air. "I don't think we should interrupt her. It'd probably be like those cartoons, where they walk out, and when they look down...SPLAT!" 

Yueh winced and leaned back onto the full safety of the balcony. "I really wish you wouldn't say something like that." She turned her back to Arashi and looked at Lily, who was still unconscious and leaning against the wall. "I don't suppose you picked up any white magic without telling us?" 

Niet shook her head. "No, why?" 

"I--" 

Arashi had stopped singing, and a small corner in the sky above them began to glow brightly. The glowing became brighter to the point that Yueh, Niet, and even Ben had to shield their eyes. They couldn't see Arashi spin mid-air and jump onto what flew down from the sky. 

When the light finally subsided, what they did see was Arashi riding the special aeon Tsuki from before. Arashi had her whip circling over her head, and was speaking fluent Japanese to the white mare. Yueh gaped at the sight and leaned once more over the edge of the balcony. 

"Arashi! ARASHI!" She waved to the summoner, who finally cast a glance at her guardian. "We--" 

"Let me take care of the other fiends first, Yueh," Arashi shouted back. Tsuki took wide turns through the sky, circling the panicked arena below them. Arashi's eyes seemed to strain as she surveyed the arena. "The crusaders seem to have gotten most of them, Tsuki and I can finish off the rest! And give the announcers a potion each! I'll be back!" Tsuki's wings fluttered faster than before, and she seemed to take off at light speed, attacking the fiend crowd with her horn and Arashi with her bit of black magic and whip. 

_Arashi pulled a Yuna there with the aeon,_ Yueh thought absentmindedly. Digging out some potions, she ran back to Ben and the slumped over broadcasters. She tossed a potion to Ben. "Open their mouths and give 'em this. Should help." 

"Aren't we just supposed to just...toss them in the air over them?" Ben asked, juggling the potion before getting a good hold on it. He tugged on the cork and tried to pull it out. "I mean...they always..." 

"Things are different from the game, Ben." Yueh pulled out the cork without much trouble and began pouring it down one of the announcer's throats. The liquid smelled like cough medicine and most likely tasted the same. The announcer began to blink slowly. "You should know that by now." 

When the man had fully regained consciousness, he ripped off his headphones and jumped up. "Where are they--" 

"They're gone, um, well, they're in the process of being rid of." Yueh stood up so she could talk to the man more easily, brushing off her knees by habit. "Arashi is taking care of them--" Yueh finally noticed that the man wasn't paying attention. In fact, he was running down the stairs, screaming his head off. Yueh sighed and shook her head, and took a quick look at how Ben was faring with the other announcer. 

Niet was grumbling and rubbing her forehead, where a small, red, circular mark currently adorned the space directly above her left eyebrow. In her other hand was the cork to the potion Ben was currently trying to force down the last announcer's throat, with little success. Yueh shoved him aside with a brisk, "Oh, let me do it," and poured the bottle's contents down the man's throat. He woke up just as quickly as the first, and had precisely the same reaction: he ran down the stairs, screaming and yelling at the top of his lungs, and ripped the cord to his headphones out from the socket. It trailed him down the stairs with a small "clink clink" every time it hit another step. Yueh blinked and Niet grumbled some more. 

"Oh, sure, you're welcome!" she said, waving wildly down the stairs. "You can just thank us the _next_ time we save your sorry--" 

"Ungh..." All three heads turned as Lily groaned rather loudly and began moving again. Yueh immediately knelt down next to her and put a hand on one of her small shoulders. 

"Are you okay?" Yueh asked quietly. 

Lily nodded. "Uh-huh, just..." She yawned. "Sleepy. As soon as Mom brings me home--" The girl's eyes widened in shock. "Mom! She--she doesn't know where I am!" She struggled to get up, but Yueh held her down. 

"We'll find her, don't worry." She turned around and leaned over the balcony, shouting. "Arashi! Arashi!" She waved, and a white blur came flying towards them. The shockwave of wind was almost enough to knock Yueh over. 

"I'm finished," Arashi said. Tsuki hovered somehow, slowly flapping her wings. Arashi leaned forward into Tsuki's mane. "All the fiends are gone, and there are no casualties. One missing person, from what I can tell, a little girl named--" 

"Lily?" Yueh finished. Arashi nodded slowly, and Yueh pointed behind her. "She's right here. I met her at halftime, and while we were running--" 

"I understand." Arashi spoke a few words in Japanese and Tsuki flew higher and landed in the small space that was left on the balcony. Arashi hopped off and knelt down next to the girl in pink. "You're Lily?" Timidly, Lily nodded. Holding out a hand, Arashi smiled. "Your mom is waiting for you by the main gate. The fiends seem to be gone, but I don't want to risk you walking down there by yourself." Lily clutched her mog doll in one hand and took Arashi's outstretched hand in her other. "You and I get to go on a little ride. Hop on up." 

Lily gasped in shock and leaned back. "You mean, I get to--" 

Arashi smiled. "Ride the aeon? Of course. Now, I'll set you up here first..." Arashi lifted the young girl from under her shoulders and set her on top of the mare, right behind the pearly white wings. "There we go, and hup!" Arashi, to Yueh's astonishment, did an anime style jump right onto Tsuki's back. Saying something again in Japanese, Tsuki hovered above the ground, and Lily shrieked with happiness. She waved before she and Arashi left. 

"Bye, Yueh! Thank you!" 

"Take care, Lily!" Yueh waved back and Arashi and Lily disappeared into the lower horizon. She smiled and hugged her own mog doll. "Take good care of yourself, Lily. Promise me that." Never pick up any stones and pretend to cast spells, she thought sardonically, giving a smirk to no one in particular. Her smirk turned quickly into a wince as Ben's voice began to boom over the loudspeakers. 

"Hello? Hello--whoa, cool! Hey, everyone this is--urk!" Niet had yoinked the headphones off of Ben's head, and the excess cord had pulled up tight against his neck. "Niet....I...oxygen...need..." She finally released the headphones, and Ben fell to the floor, gasping. "AIR!" 

Niet waved him off and pulled him back up. "Oh, come on, get up." She let go of his shirt and shook her head. "Really. Shouting over the loudspeakers..." With that, she went marching down the stairs, muttering to herself and rubbing her forehead once more. Apparently, she was still sore about the whole potion-cork incident. 

Shaking her head, Yueh followed down the stairs, laughing. Ben, still gasping under the pretense that he had lost some amount of oxygen, also followed. 

They met Arashi at the sphere pool, where she dismissed Tsuki with a quiet, "Arigatou." She quickly turned around and addressed her friends with a smile. 

"Now, I think, we should go to the inn, sleep for the night, and then move on." Arashi gave a slight nod to Ben. "You, of course, may stay in the morning, but I think you'll have to pay for a room then." 

Ben was massaging his throat. His voice sounded overly hoarse, and made Niet roll her eyes. "I might stay for a while. See some of the tournament." 

"All right, then," Arashi said. She gave a small bow. "This is where we part. I wish you well, Ben. Maybe we'll meet again." Ben again tried the Yevon bow, as he had days before when they first met, but he wasn't much better this time around and just stuck out his hand for a handshake. Laughing, Arashi took it. 

"Right." They released hands, and after a moment of awkward silence, Ben coughed. He made a motion with his hands, pointing towards the inn. "I'll, uh, just be off, then." He nodded and began to walk away. 

The three girls stood watching him for a moment. Yueh and Niet looked to Arashi, who shrugged. 

"Let's go get some rest." 

*-*-*-*-* 

"Macalania temple." 

Her voice echoed throughout the first chamber of the temple, but Mariana wasn't listening to her. The elderly woman priest of this temple had a rather nasally voice, and Mariana was sick of it after only two words. Her attention was on the steps of the temple. 

In her mind's eye, she could see him. Standing there, in those idiotic robes of his. His hair had grown even more pointy than the first time she had seen him. Those veins were still there, the tattoo was as well. She hated him with all her being, and yet, if it hadn't been for him, she would never have known. 

"To become Sin...one can become Sin." The voice still rang fresh in her mind, no matter how hard she tried to push it away. 

She had found him on the beach after the attack of Sin. He was watching the ocean calmly, as if bodies weren't strewn about him, some only pieces. Wandering about, looking for her mother and father, she had seen him just staring out into nothing. Next to his feet lay her mother, a sword through her chest, and her father, with a hole in his head. She could only see the back of his head, but even that was enough to make her feel like vomiting. 

Falling down into the crimson sand, she tried to sob. But he had spoken instead. 

"To become Sin..." He had turned at that point, and stared Mariana in the eyes. "...One can become Sin." 

Her voice had choked, but she was able to get something out. "Become...?" 

At this point, he had turned back to the ocean. "Become Sin, and nothing can stop you. The endless spiral...will finally end." Pause. "Suffering will end. It will all end. All except Sin...all except you." 

"Become Sin." The words went through her mind again as she spoke them. "I..." 

The boy, the hideous, strange, calm voiced boy, turned and, without trodding on a single body, left the beach, laughing to himself. Laughing, in the midst of murder. That horrid noise... 

"Mariana?" 

Again, the young man's voice broke her thoughts. She shook her head slightly. 

"Mariana, we can enter now." Genki hesitantly took up one of her hands, pulling her lightly towards the staircase. "Mariana?" 

She tightened her grip on his hand and strode forward. "Let's go." 


	22. Arashi's Luck

**Well, this authoress (I love that term, BTW, so thankees much for it, SilverShadow ^_^) has had her vacation, and she is now getting off her rear and adding more to the story. Sorry for the long wait, everyone, but I needed a holiday with the family. ^_^ I got lots of great stuff for Christmas, including a lovely book of Tolkien languages (I'm gonna learn to speak Elven ^_^), some manga, and a new, hardcover sketchbook, among other things. So! Sorry for the wait, and to address a few reviewers...SilverShadow, I'll TRY a cameo, if it pans out. But trust me, I won't kill you. I think I said it before, I hate killing off characters--it makes me sad. Delphine Pryde--I bet Aeon riding would be fun, but I hate roller coasters. Well, the big ones, anyway. DarkMoonDragon, Lily was pretty powerful, but you saw what it did to her. Kinda what doing to much does to me, lol. And c-kai, sorry for the edge-hanging, but hey, its all part of fanfics, right? ^_~ Anyway, enough of my ramblings. On with the story!**

Arashi insisted on leaving very early in the morning, much to the dislike of both Yueh and Niet. Arashi was readying the wagon as the other two got ready with the sound of Ben's snoring from the next room overpowering any other noise in the room. Niet was plugging her ears as much as she could as she finished packing her hiking pack. 

"I can't believe I even fell asleep last night," Yueh muttered, wincing as Ben let out another loud snort. "On the floor, nonetheless." 

"You volunteered," Niet reminded her. Ben snored even louder for a moment, and Yueh had half a mind to go over and pound on the wall to wake him up. "You could have slept on the couch instead of me." 

"And have you whining the whole way to the Djose temple? Heck no," Yueh said. She preemptively dodged Niet's joking strike. "Just kidding!" 

A rather flushed Arashi peeked in and knocked on the doorframe. "You ready to go?" 

Yueh latched the last buckle on her backpack and slung it over one shoulder. "Yeah, let's get a move on." She walked out the door past Arashi and began dodging the crowds that had appeared from the announcement at the Blitzball game the night before. Some held out small books and pens, presumably wanting autographs. She avoided as much eye contact as possible and darted to the wagon that waited in front of the inn. Soon after, Niet and Arashi came out of the door, looking a bit frazzled. Niet was still looking back over her shoulder and pushing Arashi forward. 

"All those people, just here to see us...wow," Arashi said, walking forward in a bit of a daze. 

"Yeah, and if we don't leave, like, now, they'll be chasing us down the road, asking for more autographs," Niet said, continuing to shove Arashi towards the wagon. "Let's leave in a hurry." 

Niet, Arashi, and Yueh tossed their bags in the back of the wagon, and Arashi jumped in the back as well. Niet took the reins, and Yueh grabbed the map. Niet tapped the reins against the chocobo and they bolted off, away from the ensuing crowd. Yueh thought she saw the brown-haired Blitzball playing boy, Hunter, at the head of the crowd, but didn't look twice. She instead concentrated on the map, and didn't speak until they were past the main exit gate. 

"We're on the Mi'ihen Highroad right now," Yueh stated, "and the nearest temple is the New Djose temple, right at the end of the Djose highroad." 

"Rather obvious place to put it," Niet said, laughing. She steered the chocobos lazily as they came around a sharp curve. She took a glance at the map in Yueh's hands. "How long will it take at this pace? Are we gonna need a bit of white magic boost?" At this, Arashi peeked out from the rear of the wagon, wrapped up in a large, crocheted blanket. Her face was shadowed from where it sat on her head. 

"Is anyone else cold?" Arashi shivered as the other two shook their heads. She gave a sigh and looked at the map. "Djose temple...Ixion." She squinted, trying to read the small printing on the map. Suppressing another shiver, she pointed her finger on their current position and traced it all the way to the Djose Temple. "It shouldn't take too long from this point. The chocobos need a break anyway, don't you think?" 

"Yeah," Yueh said, not quite paying attention. She pointed to the blanket currently wrapped around Arashi's shaking shoulders. "Are you really that cold?" Arashi did a rather non-committal grunt before sneezing rather loudly, almost giving Yueh a snot shower. Despite the danger, she leaned in closer and put a hand to Arashi's forehead. Her eyes whipped over to Niet. "She's burning up." 

"Really?" Niet freed one hand of the reins and put it to Arashi's forehead as well. "Whoa, freakish!" She went back to steering the chocobos and pulled them to a slow stop. "She's got a fever..." 

"No kidding," Yueh said, watching Arashi shake her head and retreat back into the wagon. 

"I'm fine, really!" Her voice sounded hoarse, Yueh realized. Arashi sneezed again before going on. "Just a little, um, under the...the...ACHOO!" This time, the whole wagon rocked with the reverb of Arashi's sneeze. Yueh leaned into the wagon from the front. 

"You're sick, Arashi, you have to see that." Arashi, shrouded in her blanket, could barely be made out as nodding. "Then shouldn't we stay in New Luca for the night?" 

At this, Arashi turned around, her face red with either sickness or anger--Yueh couldn't tell which. "No! We must keep going, and get the aeons! We have to beat this other summoner, I just know it!" She began to settle herself in the large pile of blankets and pillows and gave a small sigh. "I'm going to take a...a..." She sneezed again, this time taking care to cover her mouth. "A nap. Keep driving, and wake me up when we get to Djose Temple." Yueh watched as Arashi snuggled into the massive pile of soft linens and began snuffling quietly. 

Yueh turned back around and motioned for Niet to keep going. As she did so, she asked Yueh a question. 

"How did she manage to get a cold in the middle of summertime weather?" 

"My luck," Arashi muttered from the rear. Yueh chose to ignore this. 

"I think it was when she was flying around on Tsuki last night," Yueh said, thinking. "She must have caught something from the cold air high up or something." She stared straight ahead, and saw a figure waving from the road. "Do you think O'aka sells some sort of Spiran Tylenol?" 

Niet gave a short snort of laughter. "I would seriously doubt that." 

"Well, its worth asking, don't you think?" 

Niet blinked. "What do you mean? He's not even--" 

"Hey, O'aka! Hey!" Yueh stood up and waved wildly back to the figure on the road. "Over here! Hey! Go faster, Niet." This last sentence was mumbled under Yueh's breath. _I'm not about to have Arashi die of...of...of pneumonia or something just because we didn't ask for Tylenol..._ "Oi, O'aka!" 

The wagon finally shuddered to a halt right next to the figure which, as Yueh had guessed, was none other than O'aka, merchant extraordinaire. He tipped his hat to the girls and gave a short bow. "'Ello, ladies, 'ow are you today?" 

"Wonderful," Yueh said. She quickly thought about this and spoke again. "Except for Arashi, she--" 

O'aka nearly toppled over. He began babbling which, with his accent, was especially hard to understand. "Lady Arashi, is she--is she--she in't sick, or, or worse, is...is she?" He leaned on the seat of the wagon, his face pale. "Lady Arashi...I 'eard about th' New Luca attack, I did, bu' she didn't, she didn't--" 

"I didn't die, O'aka." 

Arashi was leaning over the back of the wagon's seat, still covered in her blanket. She seemed to be getting rapidly worse, Yueh noted. Her voice was still hoarse, but it sounded like her nose was plugged now as well. O'aka let out a large sigh of relief and patted his chest. 

"You nearly gave me a 'eart attack, Lady Summoner. I though'--I though'--bu', it doesn't matter. Now, what can I do to 'elp ye?" 

Yueh took in a deep breath. "Have any Tylenol?" 

To Yueh's great happiness, and shock, O'aka nodded slowly. "Y-yes...ye say i' so oddly, though..." He rummaged through his backpack as Yueh waited with baited breath. He pulled out a small, cloth, drawstring bag and shook it up and down. "Tylanel, an herb that cures fevers an' most comm'n illnesses." He tossed it up to a slightly confused Yueh. "Make some tea ou' o' it, and Lady Arashi'll feel be'er in no time, righ'!" Going through his backpack again, he pulled out a small, mesh, metal ball attached to a rather dainty silver chain. "Ye'll need that as well. To boil the tea, ye see." He handed this to Yueh as well. "All in all, tha'll be...400 gil." 

Niet blanched. "400? For a bag of herbs and a metal ball?" 

O'aka puffed out his chest importantly. "It's quite 'ard to fin', I'll have ye know. On'y a few people know where to fin' it, and I'll tell ye, I'm sellin' i' quite cheap. Bein' as you're Guardian's 'nd all." 

Yueh dug in her pockets and tossed O'aka the gil. "Thanks. This is going to help a lot." Niet grumbled quietly about something, so Yueh went on to cover up the noise. "I'm sure this, ah, tylanel will get Arashi well quickly." _Everyday, I sound more and more cheesy..._ She gave O'aka a bow of the head. 

O'aka gave a bow of his own as he stuffed the gil in his money pouch. "Thank ye kindly, Guardian. I 'ope Lady Arashi recovers quickly." 

Niet gave a short wave as she made the chocobos dart forward along the path. O'aka shouted out a goodbye as they made their way further down the path. After handing the bag of herbs and mesh ball to a groggy Arashi, Yueh gave Niet a rather hard punch in the gut. Niet winced and let out a loud, "What was THAT for?" 

"400 gil isn't a lot, when we have like, ten thousand," Yueh remarked. Niet's jaw nearly hit the ground. 

"We...we have ten thousand?!?" 

Yueh nodded. "Yeah, after the whole fiend attack at the stadium, I collected our spoils, and we got a lot of gil, and a few other gadgets." 

"Yueh?" Arashi's voice was still rough, and could barely be heard. Yueh turned around to see Arashi sitting in front of a small kettle that was resting on a makeshift fireplace, so as to not burn down the wagon. However, the fireplace wasn't lit. Arashi pointed to the kettle. "Fire, please?" 

Yueh nodded, and aimed a small Fire spell at the underside of the kettle. Arashi nodded a thanks and began to pour water out of a canteen and into the kettle. Yueh turned around and began to look over the map again. There was a moment's silence before Niet asked a question that Yueh had never thought of. 

"How does O'aka always get ahead of us?" 

The two girls looked at each other a moment before Yueh finally shrugged. 

"I don't think I want to know..." 

*-*-*-*-* 

They didn't reach Djose temple before nightfall, but were about three-quarters of the way there when Niet stopped the wagon with a rather loud yawn. Niet jumped off the wagon to stretch while Yueh crawled in the back of the wagon to check on their summoner. 

Arashi was sleeping on her back, still wrapped tightly in the blanket. Her glasses sat askew on her face, and her hair was plastered to her head with sweat. Next to her sat an empty cup of tea and a cooled, half empty kettle of water. _She looks horrible...I thought she was getting better a little while ago..._ Yueh removed Arashi's glasses and placed them next to the kettle on the floor of the wagon and covered Arashi a bit better with the blanket. Crawling back out onto the seat of the wagon, Yueh explained the situation to Niet. 

Sighing, Niet leaned against the wagon. "So she's still looking pretty bad." 

Yueh settled down into the wagon's driver seat, shaking her head. "Very bad. I think she needs to get to the next temple. Maybe the priests can do something to help." Picking up the reins, Yueh motioned with her head. "Get in the wagon and put some cold water on a cloth on her forehead. I'll drive us the rest of the way to the temple." Niet nodded grimly and hopped into the wagon. Yueh gritted her teeth and hit the reins hard against the chocobos. 

"Hya! Get going!" The chocobos took off at top speed along the dirt trail, kicking up dust in her eyes. She simply squinted and took it. _Arashi is not going to die of some stupid cold just because I couldn't handle a bit of flying dirt!_ "Hup hup, get a move on! Hup--oh, crap!" 

Rapidly approaching in the road ahead was a large basilisk, something Yueh did not particularly want to deal with at the moment. She grabbed the reins one handed and threw out a large Blizzara spell at it. It was thrown back a good distance, but the hit still left it alive. Yueh cursed under her breath and threw another spell at it. Unfortunately, she had hit a rather large bump as she had tossed the spell, and it went curving through the air directly above the basilisk, now back on its feet. 

She was trying to ready another spell--a difficult task while steering the chocobos right--when she felt something fly over her head and nail the basilisk right in its head, finally killing the thing and scattering pyreflies everywhere. As she passed through the pyrefly cloud, she turned her head around quickly to see Niet, poised with an apple in hand. 

She smiled and gave the apple a light toss into the air before taking a good bite out of it. 

"Not just good for eating," she said through the bite. She gave another smile and retreated back into the wagon. Yueh trained her eyes back on the road and gave a sigh. 

"Thanks, Niet." Yueh slapped the reins harder and gave another shout. "Hya! Go! Go!" 

_I'm not going to let you die, Arashi...not of a cold or of the final summoning._

*-*-*-*-* 

Mariana and Genki were on the road again. 

"At least we don't have to go through the whole Sanubia desert thing, huh?" Genki was following Mariana like a little puppy follows its master. "We can just go straight to Bevelle, and we're not traitors or anything...its going to be smooth sailing from here on out!" He looked Mariana in the eyes. "Right?" 

Mariana let out a deep breath. "Right." She kept her eyes on the road in front of her, trying to ignore both her thoughts and Genki's nervous rambling. The former turned out to be much simpler than the latter. 

"Just a few more aeons to go, right? Unless, you want to get the special aeons." He began making wild gestures with his hands as he spoke. "Which we really don't need. You're powerful enough without Anima and the others, right? I think you are. So we'll just go to Bevelle, and Gagazet, and then Zanarkand, and we can defeat Sin and maybe even not die!" Genki's brown eyes looked hopeful. "Right?" 

Mariana stayed silent. Genki cocked his head to one side. "Right?" 

_If it will make you shut up..._ "Right." 

Another bit of silence made Mariana hopeful, until it was broken by-- 

"Wonderful! We can stop Sin, and when we live to tell about it, we'll be heroes--well, a heroine in your case--and we'll win awards, maybe, and money, and..." 

Mentally, Mariana was kicking herself. _Why did I ever bring him along...?_ She took a quick look at Genki, who was still chatting ceaselessly. 

_Now I remember..._

_He was cute._

She took up his hand and squeezed it gently, which made Genki be quiet and simply stare at her in amazement. 

_He's...mine..._


	23. Sphere Movies

**Wow, I can't believe how many chapters this thing has! My last story was ten very short chapters, LOL. Well, thanks to all who've been patient and stuck by me--trust me, there's plenty more to come! Oh, by the way, feel free to drop me a line ::winkwink:: ::nudgenudge:: Hehe. Anyway, I also wanted to thank UA for all of her beautiful piccies she's drawn of the characters, and for Saito's piccies as well! She CG'ed the one of Niet stuffing her face for me...WAI! I love it! Thanks again, girls! Now, on with the story!**

The sun was just coming over the horizon when the trio of girls reached the New Djose Temple. Yueh ran into the temple in a tired sort of fury, shouting out some garbled language she supposed later was English. The main priest of the temple came out of one of the side rooms after hearing the commotion and managed to understand Yueh's frantic speech, especially when Niet began towing a weak and red Arashi into the temple. 

"Quick! Kiara, Min, help the guardian get her to a bed. Jon, get some herbs. Stronger than tylanel, try the--" 

"I know," the young man said quickly. He ran off to the room the priest had just left from. The aforementioned girls gave Niet a hand in bringing Arashi to the other room and to a bed. The priest, meanwhile, was peppering Yueh with questions. 

"When did she get sick?" 

"Just last morning, when we left New Luca--" 

"How did she become ill?" 

"I--I don't know," Yueh stuttered. Kiara, Min, and Niet began to lay Arashi on the small bed in the room. "I think--there was an attack on the stadium, and she fought alongside, well, while riding on an Aeon and I think she may have caught something while in the air--" 

"Not good," the priest mumbled. He kneeled next to Arashi and removed the blanket from her head and pulled it down around her shoulders. Putting a hand on her forehead, he went on. "How long was she up there?" 

"Barely--barely half an hour," Yueh guessed. A small wave of smoke came off of the priest's hand, and he took his hand off of Arashi's forehead. Arashi let out a small mumble and turned her head to the side. The young man entered the room with a small basket full of herbs and small ceramic utensils and bowls. 

"She must have caught something in the air. I cannot tell what it is precisely." The priest grabbed the basket from the young man and began to crush one of the many leafy, dried herbs in one of the ceramic bowls. "I will need some room to do this. Kiara, Min, if you would..." 

The two young women nodded in tandem and each grabbed an arm of a guardian. Niet protested a bit, and Yueh gave in only because she was too tired to fight. Min and Kiara led them out of the room and into the nearby inn, where food was already being prepared for the weakened guardians. Even Niet's face lit up only slightly at the sight of a table piled with dinner and desserts. 

Despite their weariness and their worry, Niet and Yueh were still hungry, so they each grabbed a plate and piled it up high with salads, fruits, and egg rolls, and ate in silence. Niet's head almost fell onto her plate, she was so tired. Only with a small kick from Yueh was this avoided. 

An hour later, Yueh still sat awake at the table, poking at remnants of an egg roll that had been there for the last quarter-hour. Niet was keeping herself busy by spelling out various phrases in the small grapes she had left on her plate. The silence was finally broken when Min or Kiara (Yueh didn't know which) came in and knocked lightly on the doorframe. 

A smile was on the young lady's face. She spoke softly, but somehow her words carried throughout the whole room. 

"The Lady Summoner is fine. She wants to talk to you two right now, if you wouldn't mind." She did a sweeping gesture towards the door, and both Yueh and Niet scrambled to their feet, running out the door like they had actually gotten some sleep. 

Inside the temple, the girls were silent, but still excited. When they entered the room where Arashi had been set down, Yueh let out a loud, grateful sigh as she saw Arashi sitting up, calmly drinking a cup of tea while conversing with the priest and the young man from before. She had to repress the urge to run over and tackle Arashi with a hug. 

Arashi was still a bit pale, but her gray-blue eyes were bright and happy. Yueh let out another sigh of relief. _We did it. We..._

That was as far as her thoughts got, as well as her feet. She fell over from exhaustion right at that moment, drifting off into a peaceful sleep without dreams. 

*-*-*-*-* 

"Although I'm glad she's getting rest, I wish she'd wake up. I'd like to ask her how on Spira we got here so quickly." 

"Lady Arashi, your other guardian..." 

"Niet?" 

"She's awake now." 

Yueh's eyes fluttered open. She squinted at the bright light above her and put up a hand to block it. The voices then resumed. 

"Yueh! You're up!" Arashi exclaimed, putting a hand on Yueh's arm that covered her face. "I'm so happy that fall to the floor didn't hurt you at all. You could have conked your head rather nastily..." 

Yueh moved her arm so she could look at Arashi. "I fell?" 

Arashi let out a short giggle. "You fell over, asleep. I'm thinking it was the ride over here. From what Niet told me before she went to sleep, you drove all night, so you were awake that whole time, but..." Arashi trailed off, tapping a finger to her chin. "Even if you rode the whole night, you still couldn't have gotten here that fast at any normal sort of speed." 

Yueh sat up. "The chocobos were fast." _I hope I didn't push them too hard..._ Giving a shrug, she went on. "It wasn't that hard, I was more concerned that...well..." 

"I would die?" Yueh nodded quietly, and, much to her surprise, Arashi laughed again. "Yueh, I'm stronger than that. I might've been down with a cold for a few days, but I wouldn't have died." She stood up and grinned. "Now, I'm going to go check on our other sleepyheaded guardian." Arashi out of the room and left Yueh alone with the girl from before. 

The young woman regarded Yueh for a moment before saying anything. "She puts it off lightly. The Lady Summoner could easily have died from what she had." She turned around and went to follow Arashi. "It was great luck that you got here so quickly, otherwise, she would have died." The girl turned her head to look at Yueh before she left the room. 

"You should take better care of her, Guardian." 

The girl's footsteps echoed as she walked out of the chamber, leaving Yueh alone. She frowned and grumbled something under her breath before getting up from the bed and stretching a bit. Her back was a bit sore (presumably from the fall), but other than that, she felt quite fine and rested. 

_Take better care of her, Guardian...' Peh. I've _been_ taking good care of her._ Yueh stomped out of the room and followed the chattering voices to Arashi and Niet. _I've been taking very good care of her. Its not _my_ fault she caught something in the air..._ She gave a short wave to Arashi and Niet and a small grunt to the young woman before seating herself next to Arashi. 

"So! All well and rested, guardians?" Arashi asked, smiling. Niet let out a short yawn, but still nodded, as did Yueh. Arashi clapped her hands together. "Great! So, we can now go to the Chamber of the Fayth and--" 

"I don't think that's a good idea, Lady Arashi." A hesitant voice came from the doorway. Turning, Yueh saw it belonged to Jon, the young man from before. 

In his arms was a large basket of breads and cheeses, along with three cups and a pitcher of some sort of drink (which Yueh couldn't quite identify). He set these things down on the bedside table next to Niet and bowed his head. 

"I...think it would be best if you rest for a day before going to pray, milady." His voice was quiet, not much above a whisper. Yueh had to strain her ears to hear him. The young woman frowned at him and stomped out of the room with a curt, "Pardon me, Lady," and a glare at Jon. He winced as she swept the curtained door shut behind her, slamming it as much as one could slam a door made of cloth. 

"Don't mind Min," Arashi said, giving a small sigh and patting Jon on the shoulder. "She's been in a rather foul mood since I refused to let her become my guardian, although I don't quite see why." 

"You would be the second to refuse her within the past week, Lady Arashi," Jon explained. He began to pour a cherry colored liquid into each of the glasses as he went on. "She wasn't very happy when Lady Mariana refused her as well. In fact--" He cut himself short as he handed Arashi a glass. "Maybe I shouldn't--" 

"No, go on, Jon." Arashi took a small sip of her drink. "If its all right. I won't tell Min. And neither will my guardians," she added, noticing Jon's glance at Yueh and Niet. He nodded and began to pass cups to Niet and Yueh before going on. 

"Min really wants to be a guardian, and you are only the second summoner to come along for a long time. She tried hard the first time, and she thought..." He trailed off, and Yueh could see he was thinking of how best to word what he wanted to say. "She thought it was a sure thing, and bought a sphere to record the occasion. She set it up, hidden, and she caught her...her rejection on sphere." Jon's face began to turn red. "She wasn't happy, and threw away the sphere, but I...I kept it." 

Yueh's curiosity got the best of her. "I don't suppose we could see the sphere?" At Jon's puzzled look, Yueh began to turn red. "We've heard about this other summoner for a while and I want to know what she looks like." 

"As would I," Arashi put in. She took a large slab of cheese and began nibbling on it. "Could we see it?" 

Jon nodded wordlessly and dashed out the door. In less than five seconds, he was back with a small movie sphere in hand. He kneeled down in between the three girls and switched on the sphere. 

Min's face was the first thing to appear, wide-eyed and excited as she set up the sphere at the perfect angle. Her hands reached out and adjusted the sphere ever so slightly before jumping to the other side of the room and standing up straight. At that moment, the back of a barely-dressed, brown-haired woman was seen walking in. 

"What is it, Min?" The voice of the woman sounded irritated, but to Yueh, it sounded vaguely familiar, especially the tone. "Genki and I have to get going." 

Min hand her hands clasped together. She bowed. "I would like to ask you, Lady Mariana...may I...may I become your guardian alongside Genki?" 

The brunette paused. "No." 

Min's face twitched, and her face began to turn red. "...no?" 

The brunette stepped past Min. "No. And...I don't think it wise to record me without asking me first, Min." She turned to the sphere and, in that moment, Yueh gasped with recognition. 

The sphere ended and both Arashi and Niet turned to Yueh. "What is it?" 

Yueh pointed shakily to the sphere. "That woman...that...remember the psychiatrist?" Arashi and Niet nodded. Yueh gulped and continued. "That's her. That's Mary." 


	24. Broken Glasses, New Hearts

**Tada! Chapter 24! I'm glad I could get this to you on time ::cough::WOMPRAT::cough:: despite the high school finals crunch. I should be studying for chem or doing my make up work, but instead I slaved (^_~) to get you guys your precious new chapter. Hehe. Now, this week the actual finals are on (Thursday and Friday), so the next chapter may be slightly delayed (although one of the upcoming ones is one I'm looking very forward to writing, so ya never know). Anyway, enjoy! Oh, BTW, with Arashi's glasses? That happened to me in real life...-_-;;;;**

"Mary? You mean--" 

"Exactly," Yueh said, leaning back in her chair. She shook her head. "I had...I never thought..." 

Arashi turned to Jon, and spoke quietly and swiftly. "Jon, would you mind leaving us alone for a moment? We have to discuss something." Jon gave a short nod and strode out of the room without another word. Arashi looked back at Yueh, her eyes shining. "That was the psychiatrist? The one who drilled you about your powers?" 

"Yeah. I thought--I mean, she said she had never even heard of Final Fantasy, and yet--she's a summoner?" Yueh put her head in her hands, staring at the stone floor beneath her. "But why? She..." 

"She's our villain!" Niet exclaimed, thrusting a fist in the air. Arashi and Yueh both looked at her, blinking. Niet blushed and placed her hand back in her lap. "Well, she's ahead of us, and a lot of people say she's mean, and if her conversation with Yueh means anything..." She trailed off, her excitement waning. "...shouldn't we be working to get ahead of her?" 

Yueh stared back at the floor, as if it would offer some answers. Instead, the brown stone just stared straight back at her, offering nothing other than dust on her shoes. She finally looked back up at her companions. "Whatever she's doing...we can't let her defeat Sin. She's probably like Seymour." 

Niet blinked. "Who's that?" 

Yueh nearly did an anime-style face fault. "The blue-haired guy with the creepy voice. He figured out he could become Sin, because--you really don't know any of this?" 

Niet thought for a moment. She then dug out her book from her nearby backpack, which was hanging on a post of the bed she lay on. She flipped through it quickly to a dog-eared page with a large picture of Seymour covering half of it and small text on the other half. Showing the book to the other two, she asked, "This guy?" 

Yueh took the book from her. "Yeah. That guy. Mary was evil enough, she probably aspires the same thing Seymour did." She handed the book back for Niet to skim over. All was silent as Niet read, and her eyes went wide as she went further down the page. 

"He wanted to BECOME Sin!?!" Niet flipped the page for more information, and continued skimming. "And 'end the spiral'...ew, he kissed Yuna?" She traced her finger over the page, going on. "And...he died but came back as an Unsent." She looked up at Yueh earnestly. "You think Mariana is an Unsent?" 

Yueh hung her head. "No, I think she wants to become Sin. That's why--that must be why she wanted to know about my magic!" Yueh finished, hitting her fist into her open hand. "She wants to become Sin!" 

Arashi finally spoke up. "I think we're jumping to conclusions." Yueh and Niet both looked at her quickly. 

"What do you mean?" Yueh asked. 

"I mean, I think she may be our villain, yes, but...if she is, why hasn't she attacked us? It doesn't seem that she's not powerful enough, having been able to collect all the aeons thus far," Arashi explained. She took another bite out of the hunk of cheese in her hand. "I'm just saying, why is she taking the long way around, in a sense?" 

"I don't know," Yueh finally said. She stood up. "What I do know is that we need to do two things. One: get ahead of her and find out her deal. Two: defeat Sin without any of us dying." Yueh leaned over and took a small loaf of bread and began eating furiously. "And three, actually: eat before we get going to get Ixion. I'm starving." 

Niet grinned and took the basket of cheese and breads and set it on her lap. She dug in and spoke around a mouthful. 

"Much agreed." 

*-*-*-*-* 

After quiet a lengthy conversation convincing Jon that Arashi was perfectly healthy and well enough to pray to the Fayth, the three girls strode into the Cloister of Trials, Niet with the basket of food in hand--and some in her mouth. She also had the large book she had received from Tsuki's fayth open on the very top of the basket, reading up on Seymour and his various hijinks. 

"So, he wanted to become Sin, and needed Yuna to accomplish that goal. To become her Zaon to her Yunalesca." She blinked and continued to balance the open book on top of the food basket as the group paused to pick up one sphere and place another. "And they were the ones who started the whole 'spiral,' as its called pretty much everywhere." Everything nearly toppled as Niet continued forwards. "So...blondie and company beat Yunalesca, meaning we won't have to fight her. Page!" 

Yueh rolled her eyes and tromped over to where Niet was standing and carefully flipped the page over. Niet grunted a thanks and went on reading aloud, paraphrasing as she went. 

"Ooh, and she was a nasty lookin' lady. Ugly fangs she's got there, ew. Glad we don't have to fight her." 

"Get ready to blink, guys, I'm putting in the finishing sphere," Arashi shouted over her shoulder. 

"All right!" Yueh shouted. 

"Yeh," Niet yelled back. 

Arashi nodded to herself and set the final sphere in its place. The trio closed their eyes as the bright light followed it as usual. Yueh opened her eyes to see Arashi kneeling down next to a treasure chest that had appeared just outside the now open door to the chamber. Arashi was smiling and gestured for Yueh to come closer. 

"Your turn, Yueh." 

Yueh kneeled down next to the chest and held her charm right over the gem-shaped lock on the chest. The small area around the lock and her charm illuminated in an aqua light before the chest popped open. Inside were two thick, dark blue bracelets, each with a small silver buckle. As she picked them up, the ever-so-familiar pop-up screen appeared, giving the title of "Mage's Wraps" to them. She clutched them in her hand as she stood up and gestured to the door. 

"Let's go in, and Arashi can get the aeon," she said. "I can put these on in there." 

Arashi nodded and took off her glasses before she entered. As she did so, however, one of the pieces that went behind her ears snapped off cleanly near the lenses. She held both pieces out in front of her, blinking. 

"Ah, just my luck." She showed the pieces to the guardians and giggled. "I guess I'll need new glasses after this. Can't go into battle not being able to see right!" 

"How...oh, never mind," Yueh said, shaking her head. Arashi shrugged, still smiling, and went into the Chamber of the Fayth, the stone slab of a door slamming behind her. 

Niet dropped the basket of foods on the floor and plopped herself down next to it, her book now in one hand, a chunk of cheese in the other. Yueh took up residence on the other side of the small staircase and began replacing her old, black wrist ties with her new ones. There was silence for a moment until Niet let out a loud, "A-HA!" 

Yueh nearly jumped out of her skin and dropped one of her old bracelets. "'A-ha' what?" 

Niet pointed in her book, flailing it around a bit as she tried to show Yueh what it was she found. She spoke around a particularly large mouthful of cheese. "'Dish righ' here! Your new bracelet fing!" Through all the thrashing around of the book, Yueh managed to see a large, colored picture of the bracelets she currently had halfway on. Niet finally finished the cheese she had been holding and began to speak clearly. "It gives a 30% magic attack increase, and half MP cost." She let out a low whistle. "Nice stuff." 

"Yeah, good stuff." Yueh finished putting the other wrist strap on and looked over them. "Half MP cost'll be helpful." She stuffed the old ones in her pocket and pulled out the movie sphere Jon had given them. Yueh switched it on and paused it at the very end, where Mary's face and shoulders were the only things that could be seen on the sphere. Yueh stared at it for a moment. 

"Oh, hey, I can upgrade your old bracelets for later, too," Niet said, flipping another page in her book. "Those have a couple ability slots open, so I could add maybe some defense or magic defense, or even some more MP. Oh, or maybe Auto-Med!" 

"We have the materials to make an Auto-Med bracelet?" Yueh mumbled, still absorbed in the sphere. 

"I thought--" Niet did some mad turning of pages before shrugging. "Guess not. But I could still add the defense things." She grabbed another loaf of bread and took a big bite out of it. "If ya wan'ed, I cou'd. Wou'dn't be too 'ard." Swallowing, she went on. "Just a poke here and a tap there and we're done--hey, hey, Yueh, you even listening?" 

Yueh blinked, and shook her head. "Oh, yeah, yeah, sure. I was just..." She gingerly picked up the sphere and pointed to the middle of Mary's collar bone. "This stone, it looks a lot like mine, and I can't help but think..." 

"Think what?" Niet prompted. 

Yueh sighed and switched off the sphere. "There was more to the original stone that I had before I met you guys. When I was brought to the psychiatrist's, on the way in, I wasn't exactly cooperative and part of the stone broke off on my way in." Yueh began to fidget, and held her dolphin-shaped charm in her hand. "I looked for it on my way out, but I couldn't exactly tell my parents that I was looking for it, and since I couldn't find it..." She sighed again and pushed back her long bangs with her free hand. "I guess Mary knew all along about the stone and found the other half." _So now even more of this is my fault._

Niet blinked and paused, the loaf of bread halfway to her mouth. "But...but how did she know about the stone in the first place?" 

"That is a very good question." Yueh leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. "And I really wish I knew. Along with how she knows so much about Spira if she's never played the game before," Yueh added as an afterthought. 

After a moment of silence, Niet waved a hand and tossed Yueh a small loaf of bread and a hunk of cheese. "We can't worry 'bout that now. So, we might as well eat up." She gave a wink and took another large bite out of the bread she had in her hand. 

Yueh gave a small laugh, but it didn't sound completely genuine. She took a small bite out of the cheese and smiled. 

"We can't worry about it...right." 

*-*-*-*-* 

Mariana and Genki had made it to Bevelle, and both were in a considerably better mood than before. 

The priests and people of Bevelle treated them both like royalty, and waited on them hand and foot. At the moment, Mariana was sitting in a four-poster bed with dark green drapes, and Genki was in a plush, deep red chair, eating from a large plate of steaks and chicken. Mariana was lazily eating from a bowl of fruit. 

"This is great! Steak and broiled chicken and fried chicken and ginger chicken--" Genki took another big bite of the steak. "Its just…great!" 

Mariana smiled, her eyes closed as she took another apple from the bowl and took a small bite. "Delicious." She leaned forward through the drapes and opened her eyes to look at Genki. "They treat us as we should be treated…love." 

Genki blushed, still not used to his new nickname for her. "Then maybe we should stay a while?" 

At this, Mariana rolled over in her bed and sighed, staring at the ceiling of the bed's canopy like a bored teenage girl. "I would love to, but…the others are getting closer." She looked back at Genki, upside-down from her point of view, and saw his small pout. Grinning happily for the first time in a long time, she turned upright and let out a fake sigh. 

"All right…if we have to." 


	25. Summoners Can't Drive

**Awright! Sorry it took so freakin' long to update. Besides finals, I ended up getting asked to a dance (which was yesterday) for the first time in my life, so that kinda put a kink in the writing works. Gomen!!! But I've got a chapter up for ya now! If ya want more info on the dance thing (well, pre dance thing), I now have a blog at http://aralai.blogspot.com . Whee! So! Enjoy the chapter, and sorry for taking so long! Oh, and finals went okay. A's on everything except for Preclac, on which I got a B (for a final semester grade as well). So! Onward!!!!**

By the time Arashi came out of the Chamber, Yueh and Niet (mainly Niet) had finished all but two loaves of bread and one chunk of cheese in the basket. Arashi gladly took the remaining food and began eating it as she hobbled out of the Cloister of Trials and back into the main temple with Yueh and Niet (who still had her nose in the book). 

Jon met them just outside the door, looking rather frantic. Yueh gave a small sigh. 

"Please tell me that nothing is attacking the temple or the nearest vicinity?" Yueh asked tiredly, rubbing her forehead. 

Jon looked confused. "I--no, no, nothing's attacking--" 

"Wonderful." 

"I just thought Lady Arashi was not going to go yet tonight, I thought we had planned on her not going--" 

"Jon, don't worry, I'm fine." Arashi picked up both pieces of her glasses and showed them to Jon. "However, my glasses did not fare so well. I don't suppose you know anyone who could fix them?" 

Jon stuttered. "W-well, I cannot--I can't fix them, but just up the road past the Moonflow, there are plenty of merchants and such that could do so, and even sell new ones...but, my Lady, are you sure you're all right? You should not have gone just yet--" 

"She's fine, Jon," Yueh said sharply. He was silent, and Yueh wanted to kick herself for having spoke. So, she continued on, trying to cover her embarrassment with babbling. "So, since she is, I suppose we should be getting going so we can fix Arashi's glasses, right?" She let out a high giggle, and Niet threw her an odd glance. "I mean, she can't fight off fiends if she can't see right, eh?" _I sound even worse now...way to go, Yueh..._

Jon's face was flushed, but he didn't look as hurt as he had before. "Right. I suppose you should." He coughed, but didn't move. 

Niet let out a short laugh. "Uh, Jon, you have to move so we can get through, you know." She gave him a smile. 

His face turned a deeper shade of crimson, which was when Yueh noticed he was carrying a small book and a movie sphere. He held them up with both hands in front of Arashi's bewildered face, and kept his face looking down at the floor as he mumbled something. 

Arashi took a small step back, pushing the guardians backwards into the door to the Cloister of Trials. "What?" 

Jon coughed again. "I...ah...would you...be in a sphere movie with me and sign my book? All of you?" His eyes remained focused on the floor. 

Arashi gave a small grin, as did Yueh and Niet. Yueh took the book from his hands and Niet gently removed the sphere. Arashi took her hand pushed Jon's chin up, making him look straight at her. 

"Of course we will." 

*-*-*-*-* 

"Here's your herbal tea mix--" 

"Yes, I--" 

"And drink it twice a day, remember!" 

"Yes, I will, but really--" 

"And some extra food stores! Kiara made the bread herself." 

Arashi smiled. "Thank you, but we really must be going. We want to make it to the Moonflow before nightfall..." 

"We do?" Niet whispered to Yueh from the back of the wagon. Yueh shrugged. 

"...and to do so, we must leave promptly." Arashi gave a bow and hoisted herself up on the front of the wagon. "Again, thank you for your kind help and prompt curing of my ailment." 

"It was no problem, milady summoner," the priest said, giving her a bow as well. "But you must remember to take that tea, it will keep you from getting the illness once again. Farewell, and may Yevon be with you!" 

Yueh thought she saw Arashi twitch for the first time in ages before replying, "And you as well. Farewell." Arashi tapped the reins on the chocobos and headed off towards the Moonflow, or so said Yueh's map. 

Niet crawled up into the seat next to Arashi, and Yueh sat directly behind the other two, her map still in hand. 

"Why are we trying to get to the Moonflow before nightfall?" Niet asked. Yueh hit her head lightly against the divider in the wagon. 

"Because, the pyre flies float up from the water, and it supposedly looks gorgeous." She shook her head. "We're going to have to start assigning chapters out of that book of yours for you to read, Niet, I swear." Niet gave Yueh a look, but both couldn't help but laugh. 

"Not a bad idea," Arashi said, her gray eyes still on the road. "We could assign pages, then have a quiz to make sure you're on the right track." Niet blanched. 

"No way, you're not serious, are you?" she blurted out. Her hands started flailing wildly as she went on. "But, but, you can't! I mean, we're not even in school right now, we have vacation, and if this a vacation, then, well, I--" Niet pouted as Arashi finally let loose a laugh. "Cut that out, would you?" 

"Anyway," Yueh said, trying not to laugh as well, "its supposed to be very beautiful, and on the pilgrimage, they never stopped because Auron was ready to hurry Yuna on her way." She took another peek at the map. "We should be able to get there just as the sun is setting." 

"And I have a movie sphere to record it," Arashi said. She steered the chocobos a slight bit closer to the edge of the trail. 

"Really? You're kidding!" Arashi shook her head, and Yueh began to stutter. "B-but, those things--they're like, really, really expensive!" Suddenly, Yueh looked confused. "And where did you put it?" 

Arashi simply laughed again. She seemed to be in a good mood, even more so than normal. "No, I didn't buy it. Jon was kind enough to give us a movie sphere in return for the signatures and my glasses that we gave him." 

"Oh, well that's--wait, you gave him your glasses?" Niet asked, her eyes widening. 

Arashi giggled. "Yeah...it turns out he has the same prescription as me, but he couldn't afford to get new ones as of late, so..." She put one hand behind her head, blushing. "I gave him mine! He taped them up and put them on just before we left. They looked kind of silly, but he seemed rather happy with it." 

Yueh shook her head as she put away the map. "Arashi..." 

"ARASHI!" 

Yueh jumped. Niet had shouted incredibly loud and wrenched the reins from Arashi's loose grip. The wagon jumped up and down, creaking loudly like a wailing cat before Niet steered the wagon back onto the beaten pathway. Both guardians let out a loud sigh as Arashi blinked calmly. Niet settled herself to drive the wagon, and Arashi continued to stare straight ahead. 

"I'll drive for a while, Arashi," Niet said, casting a wary glance at her summoner. "I think you can't see squat without your glasses." 

Arashi began to stutter. "But—but, I can see fine without my glasses, my prescription isn't even that heavy." She suddenly went back to her normal, smiling, giggling self, a hand behind her head. "I guess I wasn't paying enough attention, huh?" 

"Maybe you should sit back here, Arashi," Yueh suggested, patting a spot beside her. Arashi shuffled into the wagon and settled down next to her, hanging her head just outside of the wagon to look outside. Arashi's stare looked blank to Yueh. She patted her friend on the shoulder. "Are you okay, Arashi?" 

She simply smiled, and turned around to grab the crocheted blanket once more. Piling it around her head, she leaned into the upper right corner of the wagon and closed her eyes. 

"I'm fine. Just waiting..." Both Yueh and Niet took an odd glance at her, but she didn't see. "Just waiting...wake me when we're there." 

In seconds, Arashi was snoring softly as the chocobo-pulled wagon made its way quickly down the dirt track. Niet trained her eyes back on the road and Yueh shook her head. 

_Arashi, you're getting stranger and more mysterious everyday..._ Yueh sighed and stared out at the passing scenery, bumping along at a decent pace. _I hope you know something that I don't, something that's going to help us.__.._

Arashi smiled in her sleep. 

*-*-*-*-* 

Night was falling, and the setting sun cast a warm orange glow on the city of Bevelle. Mariana was in a long, green silk robe, standing on a marble balcony that overlooked most of the city. She leaned against the ornate railing and let out a small sigh. 

The sky was the same color as that day, when her whole view of life had changed. Not only her view, but her life as well. 

As he had walked away, that hideous blue haired boy, had walked away chuckling, she had been left by herself on the bloodied sands of the beach next to her parent's corpses to cry. But something caught her eye as he walked away, something he had dropped. 

She scrambled across the damp sand and dug through the mud where the boy had stepped on the shiny something. Slowly, carefully, she picked up a palm sized, greenish-blue stone, and rubbed off the blood and dirt that had been scratched into it. She had gotten most of it off, and she held up the beautiful jewel to the orange sunlight. 

The light barely made it through the glass-like stone, but Mariana could still see her parents through it. She clutched the precious gem to her chest and scuttled back over to her dead mother and father, and she laid her head against her father's back, hoping, wishing she could hear the beating of his heart again. Instead, she heard the gross laughter of the boy again. Lifting up her head, tears streaming down her cheeks, she screamed out, "Leave me alone! Go away!" 

She didn't see the boy again, but instead saw Sin, roaring once again on the shoreline. She stood slowly, the wind rising with every passing second. 

She was alone on the beach, and as she stood there, she shouted out, "Take me! I don't care! Mama and Daddy are gone now! You took them! You…you…" She stone in her hand started to warm, and began to glow in a pulsating pattern. "TAKE ME!" 

The light engulfed her, and when she awoke… 

_I was here..._ Tears fell from Mariana's eyes as she let out another sigh. Quiet footsteps approached her from behind, and a soft, warm hand came upon her shoulder. She didn't turn around, but she knew it was Genki. 

"Milady..." 

She finally turned around and embraced a surprised Genki, crying into his shoulder. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, and rubbed her lightly on the back. 

"What...what..." 

Mariana leaned backwards to look in Genki's brown eyes. 

"It doesn't matter, Genki..." She kissed him lightly on the lips before going back to simply holding him once more. 

Genki blinked. She had...she had just... 

He held her tighter. She had just changed. 

And maybe, maybe...so had he.


	26. At the Moonflow

**Allllrighty, here's the next chapter! I'm sorry its taking so long all this week...I was gone from school for most of this week due to pain, so the make-up work is horrendous. I'm trying my best, though! And to the one reviewer (whom you can talk to over AIM-- they're Puhoser) who said Genki and Mariana were um....doing it? THEY AREN'T. Trust me--I have all their other stuff that they're doing planned out. So they're not sleeping together. So there. Nyaa. Enjoy the rest of the story (and there will be romance in it, just be PATIENT...lol). Check the blog I mentioned earlier for updates as to whether or not the next chap of the fic will be on time...gotta love it. ^_^ Ja!**

"Arashi!" Yueh nudged the summoner girl in the shoulder lightly. "Arashi, we're here!" 

"She's still not up?" Niet asked. She peeked into the wagon from the back, which faced the Moonflow. "I don't even see how she could fall asleep on that ride." 

Yueh shrugged and poked Arashi harder. "I don't know. Arashi. Arashi!" Rolling her eyes, she finally just shook the girl awake. 

Arashi blinked, and instinctively went to adjust her glasses. Finding they weren't there, she scratched her temple and her eyelids fluttered. "Wha...oh, we're there already." Glancing outside, she scrambled to find the movie sphere. "Its dark out already. You should have woken me up sooner." Arashi hopped out the front of the wagon, the sphere in hand. Yueh turned to look at Niet and gave a small smirk. 

"I tried to wake her up for ten minutes. Its not my fault." Niet laughed and waved Yueh outside. 

"C'mon, I got the sleeping bags set up. No tents." 

Yueh grinned as she climbed out the back. "Good, otherwise we'd have lost second tent." She preemptively dodged an oncoming joking hit from Niet. "Kidding! Kidding!" 

"Yueh, Niet! Its starting!" Arashi yelled out. 

"Oh!" Niet and Yueh ran towards the shoreline and sat next to an attentive Arashi, who already had her movie sphere out and rolling. She held it like a camcorder out in front of her, watching the slowly rising lights through the sphere. 

"Isn't it gorgeous?" Arashi said quietly. Yueh gazed silently out at the swirling pyreflies, her eyes starting to drift closed. 

_Its so peaceful..._ She blinked slowly as she leaned back into the shore. _You'd never think something like this is caused by Sin, too._ The pyreflies danced across the surface of the water, the sun now gone and the moon taking its place in the sky. The pastel colored dots of light against the darkened sky made it seem like the stars had fallen to the earth and were now doing an intricate dance for Yueh and her friends alone. Sadly, Yueh's eyes felt heavier with every passing moment, and it seemed Niet was feeling the same. 

Arashi finally tore her eyes away from the beautiful sight in front of her (and the sphere) to look at Niet and Yueh. She kept glancing back at the sphere as she spoke. "I understand that you two are probably very tired. I'll keep recording so you can go to bed, if you like," she said quietly. Yueh tried to shake her head, but yawned instead, causing Arashi to smile. 

"You two go and sleep. I'll stay up and keep watch. If anything happens, you know I have Tsuki to count on." Arashi waved her free hand at the other two. "Go on, you're probably really tired." 

"I'm--" Yueh let out a yawn despite herself. She stretched out her arms and scooted back onto the sleeping bag behind her. She laid herself down on the sleeping back and her eyes fluttered shut. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Niet doing something similar. "...I'm sleepy..." 

"Good night, Yueh," was the last thing Yueh heard before she fell asleep. 

*-*-*-*-* 

She woke again in the middle of the night, to hushed whispering and a small gasp. It was coming from the direction of the Moonflow. Yueh quickly turned her attention to where the small noise had come from. 

Arashi was standing, a hand to her face, as a glittering swarm of pyreflies flew from their place next to her and back into the lake. In the night, she could just see that Arashi's face was a bit darker than normal. Yueh scrambled out of her sleeping bag and ran up to Arashi, scanning the lake. 

"Was there an attack? Is there something? Arashi?" Yueh waved her hand in front of the summoner's blushing face. "Ar-a-shi? Hello?" 

Arashi suddenly turned away, clutching her belt. "I'm fine. I was just...staring at the Moonflow." Yueh noticed that moonlight glittered off of the belt, and saw it had five jewels on it. Arashi whirled back around, smiling. "Its beautiful, isn't it? Oh!" She flushed once more and bent down suddenly to pick up a glowing blue orb on the ground, which Yueh recognized shortly thereafter as the movie sphere. Arashi poked the sphere gently. "I must have forgotten to turn it off, I suppose." She smiled gently and moved to her sleeping bag, still set out and untouched. She settled on top of it and closed her eyes. "Anyway, you should go back to bed. We'll set out again in the morning." Before Yueh could even say a word, Arashi was lightly snoring, the sphere clutched to her chest. 

Yueh stared at the sphere Arashi now held. Something had happened, she could tell, even if Arashi wouldn't tell her. She wished she could see what was on that sphere. Arashi had to have gotten those jewels on her belt some time during the middle of the night. And however she had gotten them must be on the sphere... 

Yawning, Yueh returned to her sleeping back and tucked herself in. She laid propped up on her elbows, watching the pyreflies for a short while, and before falling asleep, she remembered something. 

Arashi had been wearing glasses again. And the ones she had been wearing were tinted and suspiciously familiar...but she couldn't quite place it. 

_They look...like someone I know. Someone I knew...someone..._

Her mind and body finally gave out and she drifted off without another thought. 

*-*-*-*-* 

Arashi had apparently been the first one up in the morning, more like the self she had once been before the incident with Sin. She was hopping around, her new glasses falling down her nose more than her old ones once had, and packing up everything while singing the "Frog Song" to herself--and asking a groggy Yueh to join in once she had woken up. 

"Yea, Yueh! Sing along! Kaeru no uta ga, kikoete kuru yo, gwa, gwa, gwa, gwa, gero gero gero geroooo--" She turned around and helped Yueh stumble up onto her feet. "GWA GWA GWA! Everyone!" she shouted, lightly kicking Niet awake. She hopped around to the beat of the "song" as she picked up Yueh's sleeping bag out from underneath her. "Kaeru no uta ga..." Her voice disappeared into the back of the covered wagon. 

Niet rubbed her side lightly. "When did the cheeriness fairy whack her over the head with her wand?" 

"I don't know..." _Something good must have happened last night. I wonder..._ She hit her hand on her thigh. _I wish I could see that sphere!_

However, that would seem an impossible task, for Arashi had the sphere wrapped up in the handkerchief that hung off her other unused belt loop. Arashi whisked the other sleeping bag out from under Niet, making her friend stumble and fall on her face into the shoreline. Yueh couldn't help but giggle. Niet stared up at her. 

"Not...appreciated." Yueh tried to stop laughing as she extended a hand to help Niet up. Instead, Niet got a wicked grin on her face and pulled Yueh down with her. Yueh screamed and fell, her mouth getting a large mound of dirt and grass in her mouth. She sat up, spitting it out, as Niet rolled on the ground with laughter, pointing. 

Arashi peeked out from the rear of the wagon and tsked. "If you two are quite done, we have to get going to Guadosalam. That is, after we somehow manage to get this wagon across the Moonflow..." She sat on the back edge of the wagon, thinking. "Hoo, boy, I never thought of that." 

Yueh stood up, brushing sand off of her pants. "Neither did I. I don't think they'll let the shoopufs carry the chocobos, much less the wagon, across." She gave Niet a hand to help her up, which she accepted. She nearly, accidentally, toppled them both over again before they both steadied themselves upright. 

"The shoopufs. Think the one that Jecht attacked is here?" Niet asked as they wandered towards the wagon. Yueh began to shrug before she stopped, openmouthed, staring at Niet. "I mean--what? What'd I do now?" She stopped about two feet in front of Yueh with a questioning look on her face. "What did I do?" 

"How do you know about Jecht attacking the shoopuf?" Yueh asked, still not moving. 

Niet just waved her hand dismissively. "I took your advice and read a bunch of that book I got. It talks all about shoopufs in the chapter about the Moonflow." She jumped into the wagon and waved for Yueh to do the same. "I probably know more about the Moonflow and shoopufs than you do at this point!" 

Yueh, regaining her wits, leaped into the wagon after Niet. "I don't think so." She grinned, and so did Niet. 

"Is that a challenge?" 

"C'mon, you two, we've got a little bit to go to the shoopuf docks, and even once we get there, we have to figure out how the heck we're going to get our lovely wagon across," Arashi yelled out from the front. The reins were in her hands. 

Niet blanched and quickly scrambled to the front of the wagon, quickly grabbing the reins from Arashi's hands. 

"You are not driving." She rearranged herself neatly on the front seat. "I'll drive." 

Yueh dug around for the map in the mess that was now the back of their wagon. It was messier than her brother's room, and that was saying something. After diving under a pile of blankets and food bags, she popped back up with the now squished map in her hand, victorious. Arashi, now seated in the back alongside Yueh, laughed. Seeing Arashi smile was a nice change of pace for Yueh. 

_She's got to know something we don't...why else would she be so happy?_ As the wagon started forward, Arashi began to hum the frog song to herself once again. Yueh unrolled the map and began searching for their next stops. 

_I really hope you know something we don't..._

*-*-*-*-* 

"Okay...we could--no, its too deep. Maybe if we--no, the wagon would sink with all that weight. Well, if we...ah, crap, we're screwed." Yueh slumped down against the wagon's front right wheel with a resigned sigh. "I have no clue how we're going to get this thing across!" 

Niet, who was seated beside her, shrugged. "I don't have any ideas, either." She stared up at the sky and hit her head lightly against the wheel. "I don't wanna leave the wagon behind!" 

Yueh peeked through the wheel's spokes to look at their summoner across the way. "I hope Arashi's having more luck negotiating with that shoopuf driver than we are thinking of ideas." At the moment, Arashi was standing placidly, her hands in front of her, talking quietly to the shoopuf driver. She had been talking back and forth for at least fifteen minutes, and was either trying to convince the driver to let the shoopuf carry them all across or just simply making idle conversation. _I can't even tell what they're talking about now._

Arashi finally bowed and walked back to the wagon. "Finally," Yueh let out. She nudged Niet in the side and pointed through the spokes to an approaching Arashi. 

"She looks happy. Think she got the...um, driver to agree?" Niet asked. The girls stood up as Arashi approached. 

Yueh asked first. "...so?" 

Arashi grinned. "They'll take the wagon across on a separate shoopuf, along with the chocobos. It'll take a while, though." She leaned forward and spoke in a stage whisper. "They don't want the shoopufs to over do it." Arashi pushed her tinted glasses back up her nose with a quick snort-giggle. "So, let's get everything secured so they can take it across..." 

As they did so, screaming came from behind them. All three girls whirled around to see an overly large Ochu bopping around, spreading poison spores as it bounced. 

"Ah, crap, just when we were going to leave..." Yueh kicked the wheel of the wagon lightly before readying a fire spell. Niet pulled out her rapier, and Arashi readied her jeweled belt. 

"All right, Ochu," Yueh growled at the huge plant creature, "you're going down." 


	27. Another Katie?

**Gomen! Gomengomengomengomen!!!! I'm so sorry peoples, I've just been so busy ::faints::. So! Here's the next chapter (finally), and SilverShadow? Well...just read. ~_^ And always remember, for all the latest "Why in the world ain't she updating?" news, go to my blog-- http://aralai.blogspot.com . Hehe, hope that helps! Here...we...go!**

Yueh began a Firaga spell while Niet scrambled through her book one-handed. 

"Ochu--no--" Yueh saw her take a second look at the fiend in front of them. "Great Lord Ochu! Lord Ochu's older...something. Twenty--gyah! Twenty-eight thousand HP! Obvious weakness to fire, and it'll absorb any water attacks!" Niet tossed the book in her usual form back into the wagon with a final addition. "It also has some nasty poison sting attacks, so watch out for the tentacles!" 

Yueh grunted assent. _I remember this one from the game...I hope we have some antidotes on hand._ Yueh let out a loud yell before flinging the ball of fire at the giant, animated plant. 2500 floated up from the fiend and Yueh gave herself a little cheer. She began another spell as Niet did a charge into it. 

"Hai....YA!" Niet managed to run up the side of the creature and slash away one of the menacing tentacles, leaving it to writhe on the ground in a particularly frightening way. Arashi winced. 

"Ew..." 

Yueh turned back to look at Arashi, who didn't see another tentacle aimed right at herself. Yueh forgot the fire spell and ran to tackle the summoner. 

A blur of black and red beat Yueh to Arashi, who let out a loud cry of surprise once she was on the ground. The tentacle waved overhead harmlessly with a snap as both the blur, now identifiable as a teenage girl with black hair and a pair of outrageously colored goggles on her face, and Arashi sat up. The girl had some sort of machinery strapped to her back, which, to Yueh, looked rather like a large gun. The teenaged girl unstrapped the machinery and pointed it at the still approaching fiend. 

When she pulled the trigger, Yueh had to shield her eyes. The machine was now revealed as a flamethrower, as a huge jet of flame was released from its nozzle and into the belly of the great fiend, getting a good 5000 out of the remaining HP of the Ochu. Yueh looked back at the girl, who was now standing with Arashi by her. 

She was introducing herself. "Hiya. I'm Katy, nice to meet you." The rather short girl shook a stunned Arashi's hand and turned to look at the Ochu once more. She was oddly calm. "We've been trying to get rid of this guy for a while, but he just keeps popping back up..." She turned even more and saw Yueh and Niet (who was busy trying to keep the fiend--and its tentacles--at bay). "Oh! I'm Katy!" Katy gave a short bow of her head. "Good to meet you." She ducked calmly, pulling Arashi with her, as another tentacle flew overhead. "We ought to get this thing done with, huh?" 

Yueh blinked, and nodded, quite stunned. "Right." She shook her head quickly, regaining her ability to think clearly. "Right! Katy, can you use the flamethrower again?" 

Katy's face turned as red as her tank top as she shook her head. "Not right away. It needs to recharge--" 

"Incoming!" Niet screamed out. All four girls dropped to the dirt as three tentacles whizzed over their heads. Yueh rolled over to avoid another snapping tentacle and threw a lower level fire spell at what she supposed was the Ochu's head. It writhed as another 1800 HP floated away. It stunned it long enough for all the girls to get back up and just as Arashi was about to attack with her whip, a large group of irate villagers came running from the rear of the group. Yueh turned her head to see them running for either Arashi or Katy, she couldn't quite tell which. 

"Get the Al Bhed girl!" 

"Get the heathen!" 

_Okay, that answers that question..._ The fiend came for another roundhouse attack, which Yueh barely dodged by again falling to the ground. She spit out the dirt and looked back at the coming crowd, which now surrounded Katy and Arashi. 

"Protect the summoner!" 

"Take the Al Bhed girl! Get her!" 

Yueh and Niet exchanged a quick glance before running to try and separate the angry group of people from Arashi and Katy. The Ochu was momentarily forgotten as the two guardians tried to tear the crowd away from the other two girls. This was managed, and Yueh and Niet stood in front of Katy and Arashi as Arashi tried to calm the crowd. 

"What's going on? Hey! What's going on here!?" she shouted out. The group wouldn't shut up, so Yueh finally shot a lightning bolt right in front of her feet, immediately silencing both the crowd and Arashi. 

Yueh let out a small cough. "Now, what is going on?" She pointed to a rather foul looking woman in the front of the group. "You! What's happening?" 

"That girl--" she pointed with a sneer to Katy "--has been making this fiend behind us appear again and again with her machina!" The crowd roared in agreeance, but Yueh raised her hands for silence again. 

"I did nothing of the sort! I've been trying to get rid of it as much as you have!" Katy shouted out. "We have a chance now, now that a summoner is here again!" 

"Either way, we have more important things at hand!" Yueh shouted out. She pointed to the Ochu still hopping madly in the background. "Let us take care of it, and then--" 

"The Al Bhed heathen will harm the summoner! Let us take her!" the foul woman screamed. The crowd cheered in agreeance. Yueh shook her head. 

"No, just--" 

"LOOK OUT!" Niet screamed. The four girls fell to the ground by habit, but the crowd remained standing and took the brunt of the blow from three tentacles. The people on the outside were thrown across the plain, and the people still standing immediately ran away screaming and shouting, the "Al Bhed heathen" completely forgotten. The four girls looked up from the ground, and Yueh winced. _Arashi's going to have some healing to do after this battle..._

"They never listen," Katy said sadly. Her tinted goggles had fallen from her face, showing her brown eyes--brown eyes with bright green spirals in them. Yueh gave her a quick look, and Katy pulled the goggles back on her face, the lenses obscuring her eyes from view once more. 

"I'm only half Al Bhed," she said quietly. She looked at the people on the ground and gave a glance to the people who were running away. "Not that they care." 

The Ochu was jumping around, kicking up dust and grass as it did so. Yueh was now up from the ground and readying another fire spell, this one a high level one. 

"Get the fallen people out of the way! The dust's going to aggravate their injuries!" Arashi shouted out, jumping up from the ground and trying to drag away one of the injured people. As the man was probably twice her weight, she was having a hard time of it. 

Yueh tossed the Firaga spell, taking away another 2500. The fiend reeled backwards and let out some nasty noise that killed Yueh's ears. "That'll take too long!" 

"But if he releases a poison cloud thing, it'll get in their wounds!" Arashi shouted out. 

Katy threw a grenade at the Ochu just as Niet did an interesting spinning rapier trick that made her sword into a boomerang. Niet shouted back to Arashi, "It'll be quicker if we just kill the thing!" 

"But--" Arashi looked at the person in her hands, then set him gently to the ground. She shoved her three-quarters sleeves even further up her shoulders and brandished her belt. "Okay, girls, watch out--Dante's coming to give a little help." She began to dance around lightly as she twirled her jeweled belt in the air around her. Yueh allowed herself a short grin before turning back to the raging Ochu. 

"Watch her back, Niet! I got another fire spell coming..." Yueh pulled out her flute and began to play another wild melody. The flute began to grow hotter in her hands as she played longer, dancing around her own steps to avoid the snapping tentacles around her. Just as the spell was reaching its final stages, Katy shouted out from the right. 

"The flamethrower's ready for another attack!" She adjusted it against her shoulder and gave a wild smile. "On three! One, two...THREE!" 

Fire from both weapons whirled through the air towards the Ochu, who couldn't have ever moved fast enough to avoid it. The flames engulfed the fiend who let out another ear-splitting noise just before the fire dissipated, taking away an astounding 7000 HP total. Both girls let out a cheer and took a quick look at Arashi and Niet. 

"She's almost done!" Niet informed the other two. "Just a couple more seconds--" 

As she said that, from the ground burst Dante, the aeon Ifrit, into the air, catapulting Arashi high above them all before she landed on his shoulder and was gently set back down in front of him. 

"Everyone, clear out! Dante...OVERDRIVE!" Arashi screamed out. Dante gave a vague nod before shooting out flames and picking up the earth beneath them to send the giant fiend crashing to the ground before them, taking out the maximum damage that it could--9999 HP total. It dissolved into pyreflies, not leaving much else behind. 

Yueh turned back to Arashi, who was patting Dante on the back before releasing him to go back to wherever it was aeons went to rest. Yueh, Katy, and Niet let out a cheer, but Arashi was oddly silent. Yueh looked at her, her head cocked to one side. 

"Arashi, what...?" The summoner girl walked past the other three and kneeled next to two of the people on the ground. Her hands went to their necks, and she let out a choked sob. Yueh took one step forward. "Arashi--" 

"They were dead the moment the Ochu hit them," Arashi said quietly. Yueh froze in her place. "Snapped their necks on the impact...they never expected...were never thinking..." Arashi had an odd, grim look on her face. Yueh realized what it was. She was holding back tears. 

"Don't cry...summoners don't cry," Arashi's voice said even quieter. She stood up slowly, and Yueh went to help her friend. Niet did the same, but Arashi waved them both off. Katy stood silently, her face unreadable from this side of the goggles. 

"I--I'll send them," Arashi said. She stretched out the jeweled belt once more, the jewels seeming to shine more than they had before in the day's light. 

Yueh shook her head. "No, Arashi, they can't all be dead, I--they can't, they--" 

"Look at their necks, Yueh," she said solemnly. "They're all at odd angles...if they aren't dead, they're sure as heck paralyzed from the neck down. I'll send them, and if any are left...I'll see what I can do." She began to walk forward, her footsteps not even audible. Yueh thought that odd, but then she saw why. 

Arashi was walking in the air again, with gusts of wind that seemed to only affect her as she began a silent dance. The crescent moon charm at the end of her belt swung around without a sound, but glowed brighter and brighter blue as she went on. 

Niet, Yueh, and Katy stood by, watching Arashi ten feet in the air above them. The bodies below, every single one, was glowing and disappearing into pyreflies. Yueh tried not to cry, and barely managed to succeed. 

_More dead...from this stupid thing._ Yueh closed her brown eyes. _But its not my fault, is it? They ran into it on their own, chasing their own foolish beliefs..._ She opened her eyes to look at Katy, who had finally taken her goggles off. Tears ran down her cheeks as she let out a small sigh. Using the backs of her hands, she wiped the tears away and saw Yueh looking at her. 

"Stupid, isn't it?" she asked. "Throwing away their lives...because I'm not the same as them. Just because I'm different." Katy shook her head, her black hair swishing gently. "People are so...stupid." More tears began to stream down her cheeks. 

Niet sat down on the ground, waiting for Arashi to finish the sending. She spoke so softly it was hard to hear her even though there was no other sound around them. 

"The sending...souls depart to the Farplane, so they don't become angered, and so their pyreflies won't turn into fiends, right?" Niet looked over at Yueh. "So they don't become sinspawn, right?" She leaned against her knees, and finally the other two girls sat down next to her. 

Katy kept on sobbing, Niet continued mumbling to herself, and Yueh stared blankly at the rising pyreflies in front of her. 

_Everyone of you brought it upon yourselves. You knew the danger, yet you walked blindly into it, just because of a girl who didn't believe what you believed,_ Yueh thought. The bodies finally disappeared completely, and Arashi began to float back down to the earth. 

_Despite that...we will kill Sin for all of you, won't we? Everyone of you..._ Arashi touched the ground and walked over to the other three. _If we found a way to bring you back, would you thank us and change, or just go back to your old ways, back to your prejudiced thinking?_

"Let's go on, and forget the dead. They are in peace now." Arashi extended a hand to all three girls, managing a small smile. 

"We move on, and we live on. We live on to fight, and that's what we're going to do." Yueh looked down at the ground, a determined look now set upon her face. 

_That's right. We live on, we fight...and we'll kill Sin, even if they don't deserve it._ Yueh took Arashi's hand and stood up, her face to the sun. _We'll do it. Not for them...for ourselves._


	28. Union

**Hey y'all! I'm actually on time with this chapter. Wow... ^_~;; However, the next chapter will probably be delivered on next WEDNESDAY rather than Monday. I have to do all my make-up work first, and then (since I'm now feeling well enough to go to school everyday {long story}) I'll only have CURRENT homework, which is much easier on my writing schedule. ^_~ So, there's that heads-up. Hope y'all don't mind...and, to be honest, I have a favor to ask of y'all...PLEASE review--this is the only time I have asked for reviews (trust me, I've checked!). Reviews keep me going and make me want to write more. So please don't be mad at me for asking (gomen!), but please review if ya can. Thx. ^_^ V Without further ado...**

Genki fussed with his robes. He wasn't used to wearing such fancy clothing, with frills everywhere. It was a deep green, with sashes to match, and a rather tight, high collar surrounding his neck. It didn't matter, though, he figured. What was really making him nervous was standing in front of the priest, wondering what was taking Lady Mariana so long... 

"And the Lady arrives," the priest said quietly, so as to reassure Genki. Genki let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding and turned his head to watch her come up the flight of stairs. 

She wore not a dress of white, but of a pale green that complimented Genki's own dark green robes. Layer upon layer covered her, and the train dragged behind her at least 8 feet. Light green lace outlined every hem on her dress. Her brown hair sat piled on top of her head in a simple bun, not a strand straying from it. Her eyes were calm, but they betrayed her real feelings. 

_I never thought, since I got here..._ She took step after step, coming quickly closer to Genki. _...anything like this, at the orphanage...they all hated me._ Her feet finally halted straight across from him. A soft wind blew through the scene, lightly moving Mariana's veil across her nose. She wanted to sneeze, but stopped herself just before the priest started to speak. 

"Today, we have come together to unite these two people, a summoner and her guardian, in an even deeper way. These two have..." Mariana didn't hear much else that the priest had to say, and instead focused on Genki's brown eyes. His hair had fallen into them again, making him look even more handsome than before. She resisted the urge to reach out her hand and push his hair back, but only barely. 

_Together forever._ The wind picked up again, and her dress fluttered across the carpet that led up the staircase. _Together in everything._ Genki smiled nervously at her, and she tried to calm him by simply smiling back. Neither of them were even listening to the priest now. It was as if they were the only two there, just them and no one else. 

_Just us...only us..._ The priest, seeming to sense the couple's impatience, finished up the ceremony, pronouncing the two married under the law of Yevon for as long as they would live. 

"You may...kiss your bride," he said finally. Genki swallowed hard and stepped forward to lift Mariana's veil from her face. The wind assisted him in doing so, and he leaned forward slowly, too slowly for Mariana's taste, and finally kissed his new wife. 

_Just us...husband and wife. Forever._

*-*-*-*-* 

Arashi was humming to herself what Yueh presumed was once again the frog's song. It was getting to the point where Yueh herself could probably sing it with little trouble, despite the fact that the song was in Japanese. 

They had gotten across the Moonflow with little trouble after the sending, along with their wagon, and were now on their way on the short trip to Guadosalam. Niet was driving once again, but this time, someone else was sitting next to her: the half Al Bhed girl, Katy. 

She had been almost inconsolable after the sending, feeling that it was all her fault that all those people had died. She was angry with them and herself, and had tossed her flamethrower in the Moonflow on the shoopuf ride over. The driver had chided her for littering, which only made Katy cry harder. Yueh had had to stop her from diving from the shoopuf herself at one point, barely catching the girl by the back of her tank-top. She had stopped crying finally after that, but was still dark and moody on the wagon ride until Arashi had done something rather...unexpected. 

Niet had seen her do it once, and Yueh had never known about it, but Arashi had done the trick so many times at school that she was used to the reaction it received. She had tossed her long hair in front of her face, all of it, and removed her glasses, only to replace them on top of her hair-covered face. The joke was that it was cousin It from The Addams Family, but regardless of whether you had seen the show or not, it was a ridiculous look on any person. Katy had taken once glance and couldn't help but smile. In fact, she broke out laughing--as did Yueh and Niet. The laughter was contagious, and Arashi giggled from behind her shield of hair, making her look even more outrageous. 

That had broken the ice, and considerably lightened the mood on the wagon. Arashi had put her hair back to normal, of course, but was still bright and cheery, simply humming to herself as she had the crocheted blanket wrapped around her. Yueh had borrowed Niet's book and was reading the section on upper-level magic spells and how to properly use her flute when the wagon came to a sudden halt with a thump. 

Yueh rocketed to the front of the wagon, smacking her head against the divider, while Arashi simply slid across the bottom of the wagon. Yueh looked up to Niet and asked, "What just happened?" 

Niet didn't turn around but spoke urgently. 

"I think...we just ran over O'aka." 

Arashi threw herself out of the wagon, and Yueh did about the same, shouting, "WHAT?!?" 

"I didn't mean to! I think he fell asleep on the road, and I tried to stop the chocobos, but they stomped on him, and now--" Niet's voice finally halted as all four girls hopped off the wagon, Katy tumbling to a halt underneath the wagon. 

"Owie..." She scrambled forward to where Yueh and Arashi were now kneeling next to a lump in the road, which was presumably O'aka. Yueh dusted the lump off to reveal a bright green coat and winced. 

"I've killed O'aka!" Niet shouted. Yueh and Arashi prodded the body, which responded with a loud, somehow still accented, groan. 

"Wha...where did I..." He rolled himself over onto his back and coughed up dust. "I was walkin', and dropped me bag, and I..." More dust came from his mouth. "I..." 

"Don't talk, O'aka," Arashi commanded. She looked to Yueh and gave a look from the other two girls and to the chocobos. 

"Ah, Niet, Katy, unhitch the chocobos and move them out of the way," Yueh said, still focusing her attention to the dusty bump on the road that was O'aka. Niet nodded assent and began instructing Katy on how to get the chocobos out of their harnesses and out of the way. 

"O'aka, don't move now, okay? You just got trampled on by some chocobos, and I don't know if anything's broken," Arashi explained. O'aka coughed up dirt again and nodded slowly. 

Arashi placed her hands over his chest and the familiar white glow of healing magic surrounded both of them. The glow became faint and Arashi allowed O'aka to sit up. He did, albeit slowly, and winced. His dirt-caked hat fell off his head, making him seem now all of his probably twenty years or so. _Well, he is_ the _O'aka's son, after all, I guess he can't be that old..._

He had finally stopped coughing up dust, but he still coughed. "Thank ye kindly, Lady. I've been walkin' for days now, ye see. Go' a bi' tired, I s'pose, on th' way here..." 

"O'aka...you must've fallen over from exhaustion!" Arashi pronounced, shaking her head. Yueh scrambled around for his bag and finally found it lying just off the road, untouched by chocobo feet. She grabbed it and handed it to him. 

"Thank ye...I 'ad to, m'lady, I 'ave to restock in B'velle, and wi'out me wares, I go' nothin' to do, ye see." He accepted the bag with a small nod. "I ran ou' o' food, m'lady, and..." 

"Fell on the road, almost seriously injured by jogging chocobo," Arashi reprimanded. She wagged a finger at him, like a mother telling her child not to eat cookies before dinner. 

"That really wasn't a smart move, O'aka," Yueh agreed. Niet re-entered the scene, taking a quick glance at O'aka before talking to Arashi. 

"Katy's taking care of the chocobos. Are we almost ready to get going again? Oh," she added as an afterthought, "sorry for running you over, O'aka." Niet blushed horribly. "I didn't mean to. I tried to stop the chocobos, but they were so insistent..." 

O'aka stood himself up shakily, grimacing all the way. "S'okay. Stubborn creatures, that they are. I used t'drive a wagon meself, b'fore me dad 'ad me help in the fam'ly business." He stumbled backwards and hit the wagon. The three girls jumped to help him, but he shook his head. "I'll be fine. I...ah..." 

"No. You're riding with us, at least to Guadosalam," Arashi said finally. O'aka began to protest, but Arashi simply went on. "No way. You've got to rest, but you can't be out on the road all night walking again without food." 

Yueh nodded. "Right. We've got food on board the wagon, so...hop on board!" she said, gesturing to the wagon. O'aka stumbled back again and this time Yueh caught him. His arm was quite cold, and this close up, he didn't look well at all. 

"In the wagon you go!" Niet agreed, still apparently feeling guilty for not stopping the chocobos soon enough. Yueh and Niet dragged O'aka to the back of the wagon and loaded him in while Arashi and Katy rehitched the chocobos to the wagon. It took a bit of finagling, but Niet and Yueh did manage to help O'aka up and into the wagon, where he sat down with a thump on the blanket that had been wrapped around Arashi only moments earlier. 

"Thanks," he mumbled quietly. He sat in the front left corner of the wagon, staring around the inside of it in a sort of wonder. 

"Beau'iful wagon, m'lady," he said finally. Arashi leaned in from the front and grinned. 

"Thanks, O'aka. A gift from the Besaid villagers." She hopped in through the front and Katy jumped onto the front driver's seat. Niet crawled through the back, as did Yueh, and the two got into their previous positions with much jumbling through the wagon. When all five people were finally in place, Niet started up the chocobos again and set off down the road to Guadosalam. 

O'aka dug hungrily into their food supplies, eating everything that Arashi or Yueh handed to him. Yueh could only watch stunned as the still dust-encrusted young man gobbled everything down, but did giggle when she finally realized whom he reminded her of. 

_Its like watching Niet back at the stadium..._ She laughed again and leaned back against the cloth wall of the wagon. _How fun that was..._

"We're here!" Niet announced from the front. She disappeared from the front as she hopped off the wagon, Katy following as well. Arashi and Niet helped O'aka out of the wagon, and he stumbled forward as he pulled his backpack on once more. 

"Thank ye, m'lady, thank ye much. I'll...get some rest 'ere for th' night, and see y'later." He gave the Yevon bow and wandered off. 

"I think we should've made him pay for all the food he ate," Yueh muttered under her breath, holding the now empty food stores bag up to Arashi. "He's worse than Niet." 

"I heard that!" an indignant Niet shouted from the front. 

Before Yueh could retort, a tall, long fingered, pointy-haired being stepped out from the shadows and spoke. "Hello, Lady Summoner Arashi, Guardians Yueh and Niet." He frowned and took a quick look at Katy, who bowed her head even though her tinted goggles were on. "And another guardian I do not know about?" 

"She's a companion on this trip for now. Something happened just today and...she was rather shaken by it," Arashi explained, stepping forward. "I decided it would be for the best if she came along with us for now." 

"I...see," the Guado said finally. He gestured for the group of girls to walk in and enter Guadosalam with a sweeping motion. "Come, come in and rest for a while, my Lady." He went in ahead of them, and Arashi spoke in an undertone to the other three. 

"We're only staying long enough to eat. We have to be on our way." With that, she strode forward and caught up quickly to the Guado. 

_Good._ Yueh suppressed a shudder as she followed everyone else. _These Guado guys totally creep me out..._


	29. Falling for the Farplane

**Ehehe...so I lied. It turns out that typing on my dad's new laptop from work is a lot of fun--and it makes typing the chapters up much easier. Its a lovely Dell Latitude with a hugantic screen and--I think--a 2 gigahertz processor. Wai~~I'm so happy! So, this chapter's not late, but EARLY! Wowee. So! As thanks, y'all should review. ^_~ Just kidding, but it does make me want to type up even more, to be honest. So, if ya feel like it, leave a review. Oh! To comment on one review--I know its following the temple pattern of the game--I'm using the strat guide as a reference. ^_^;; Also, meeting an Al Bhed at the Moonflow? That was an accident--I had forgotten that that was where the gang met Rikku, so...gomen. Still! ^_^;;; Enjoy the next chap, peoples! Ikimashou!**

Inside Guadosalam, Yueh ate quietly and very reserved. The way the Guado ate made you feel like a pig no matter how properly you chewed on your food. Niet ate in her normal way, but both Yueh and Katy were more or less picking at their food without touching too much of it. Arashi seemed to fit right in, which rather frightened Yueh to a certain extent. 

_Its like she was born here or something..._ Yueh stabbed a leaf of lettuce with her fork and chewed on it quietly, trying not to be noticed. 

Katy still wore her goggles, trying to conceal what Yueh figured the Guado already knew. None of the Guado would speak to Katy directly, and acted as if she wasn't there. Yueh figured the sooner they got out of Guadosalam, the better for all of them. 

Finally, someone spoke. Unfortunately, it was one of the Guado, with a voice twice as irritating as Seymour's. 

"Lady Arashi, how is your pilgrimage faring?" The Guado who had guided them into the dining hall had posed the question. Arashi finished the bite she had in her mouth and answered. 

"It is going rather well." _She's back to her "proper summoner" role already..._ Arashi added more French dressing to the salad she was eating. "We have gone to all the previous temples with much success, and have had only..." Yueh noticed that Arashi almost choked. "...have had only one sending thus far on our journey, brought on by an unfortunate accident with an overly large sinspawn. Great Lord Ochu." 

"Ah, yes, that particular sinspawn had been plaguing the area around the Moonflow for a few months now," the Guado, who had earlier identified himself as Lyskar, commented. He cut up his steak as he went on. "We had heard that the local Al Bhed had been stirring up the sinspawn in that area." 

Yueh winced and kept her eyes closed as Katy's fork clattered to her plate. She didn't want to see what Katy would do at that accusation. 

"I don't think that they were at fault, Lyskar Guado," Arashi spoke up in Katy's place. Yueh let out a silent sigh and opened her eyes, convinced that the situation had been resolved. Katy picked up her fork once more, her face flushing, and Arashi smiled. "I met a few of the Al Bhed out there. They were trying harder than the other people out there, in fact." 

"Oh really?" Lyskal said. He had a slight sneer to his voice that made Yueh's blood boil. "I heard that one of them--" at this he took a meaningful glance at Katy "--bowled you over when you were trying to attack, almost getting you killed by the Ochu you and your guardians faced." 

This time, Yueh replied. "As a matter of fact, that Al Bhed saved our lives several times during that fight. I'd like to see most people try to relay important info while tentacles fly overhead." _Beat that, pointy-hair._

"I would think that, if it were important information, they would have told you beforehand so you were more prepared," he said before chewing on a piece of steak. 

"Ish not like we 'ad much war'ing, a'yway," Niet put in around a particularly large mouthful of meat. She swallowed and continued. "So for her to tell us when she did was helpful enough." 

"I suggest we get off the subject now, anyway," Arashi said finally. "What happened was no one's fault, and talking about it doesn't help anyone." She gave a final nod, and Yueh silently cheered her. _Go Arashi..._

Lyskal seemed stunned for a moment before he returned to eating his steak silently. All further conversation ceased for the remainder of the meal. 

*-*-*-*-* 

"I don't even see why she wants to go to the Farplane," Niet said, settling down into the stairway. "It sounded like a really depressing place in the book." 

"Yevonites are hard to understand sometimes," Katy put in quietly. Yueh and Niet exchanged a glance before looking to Arashi, who was at the top of the stairway and about to enter. 

"You want us to come with, Arashi?" Yueh shouted up the stairs. Arashi's golden mane waved wildly as she shook her head. 

"I'll be out in a second, I just have to check something out." She gave a short salute. "Be back in a few." With that, Arashi stepped through the shimmering gate and into the Farplane. 

"Wonder what she wants to check," Yueh murmured to herself. Niet heard and shrugged. 

"Not a clue. Wish she'd give us some sort of idea," Niet said. 

"Summoner's logic," Katy said simply. Niet and Yueh gave each other another look over Katy's head before both shrugging. "Her heart's in the right place, but she could do so much more if she didn't...didn't...sacrifice herself." She put total emphasis on the second to last word and shuddered. "Sin continues regardless..." 

Yueh seated herself next to Katy and patted her on the shoulder. She looked up through her goggles as Yueh gave her a small, sad smile. 

"You don't know how many times that runs through our minds, Katy. No clue." 

Suddenly, a flustered Arashi came bounding out of the Farplane and halfway tumbled down the stairs. All three girls jumped out of the way as Arashi landed in a disheveled heap at the very bottom. The three froze and let out a sigh of relief as Arashi sat up and rubbed her head. She turned back to look at them, smiling behind her tinted glasses, but Yueh still noticed that her face was paler than normal. She was about to ask why when Arashi just hopped back on her feet and giggled insanely. 

"Well, I'm okay! So! Time to get going!" She ran across the way and took the path that led to their wagon. 

Yueh and Niet blinked slowly, while Katy simply shook her head. 

"Summoner's logic..." 

*-*-*-*-* 

Yueh had to stop herself from singing as they left Guadosalam. She was driving the wagon as Katy sat next to her. Both girls were quite relieved to be away from that place, although for different reasons. Arashi and Niet were in the back of the wagon, waving to the slowly shrinking figures of Lyskal and O'aka (who was leaning on a crutch, his backpack still on his back). 

"Sorry for running you over earlier, O'aka!" Niet yelled out as a goodbye. 

"Take care, O'aka! And don't eat too much!" Arashi shouted. She continued to wave until O'aka was out of sight, and then giggled as she spoke in a stage whisper to Niet. "Although, for O'aka, I don't think its possible for him to eat 'too much.'" 

"Arashi, can you grab the map for me?" Yueh asked, looking for a moment over her shoulder. "I want to see how much longer it is until Bevelle." 

"I'll check!" Arashi said. 

"Betcha I find it first!" Niet said. Yueh took another glance as Niet and Arashi dived into the piles of blankets, tents, and supplies, searching for Yueh's map. As things went flying inside the wagon, making Katy laugh quietly from the front, Yueh saw a small piece of rolled up parchment sitting in the very front right corner of the wagon's inside. She coughed loudly and both girls stopped tossing things in the back to look up at Yueh. A blanket landed on Arashi's head, and a few pieces of thrown fruit plopped on top of Niet's head, who didn't shout out, but did wince as each separate piece bonked her on the skull. 

"...oops." Arashi and Niet blushed as Yueh laughed and grabbed the map for herself. She unfurled it and handed it to Katy. 

"What's it look like to you?" Yueh asked, trying to keep her eyes on the road. More things sounded like they were flying in the back in some sort of pillow fight or something, which made it hard to keep her mind on driving. 

"Um...we're the dot, right?" Katy removed her goggles and squinted at the map. 

Yueh suppressed the urge to laugh. "Yes, we're the blinking dot. How much longer until Bevelle?" 

"I think…well…" Katy's face turned a bright crimson. "I think I'm no good at reading maps." She handed the parchment back to Yueh, her face looking down at the passing ground. "I'm sorry, Yueh." 

"Ah, don't worry! I, ehe…" It was Yueh's turn to have her face become red. "I didn't know. I'll take a look, you take the reins." Katy nodded and did so, and Yueh looked over the map for a few short moments. She did a few short measurements with her fingers before pronouncing, "We'll be there by next morning, if we take shifts driving all night to Bevelle." She looked back at Arashi, who had stopped flinging things around to listen. "…not including our resident bad driver, Arashi." 

"Hey!" Arashi tossed an apple in Yueh's general direction, which luckily missed and went harmlessly over Yueh's shoulder. All three busted out laughing, while Katy felt slightly outcast once more, not quite getting the joke. Yueh took the reins once more, smiling at Katy. 

"She nearly drove us off the road on the way to the Moonflow a couple nights ago," Yueh explained. "We don't let her drive anymore…" 

"I was thinking of something else at the time! Important…summoner…stuff!" Arashi said, crossing her arms and pretending to pout. She stuck out her tongue, and then received a flying pillow to the back of the head from Niet. Arashi scoffed and grabbed another pillow to thwack Niet in the head as well. Unfortunately, the pillow released from Niet's grip and beaned Katy in the head instead. 

There was a moment's silence as Katy grabbed the pillow and seemed to contemplate it. After a short moment, she leaped in the back, arms outstretched with the pillow in her hands, bumping Niet rather nicely on the shoulder. 

Yueh sighed happily as the laughing and hitting sounds continued. 

_Death affects us…but things like pillow fights affect us more…_ She grinned as a feather flew over her head and wafted gently onto her lap. _And quite frankly, they're much more enjoyable._

*-*-*-*-* 

The sun was setting as Yueh continued down the road. The other three girls had fallen asleep just minutes earlier, having just finished the long pillow fight only moments before. Yueh now had the fun task of trying to stay awake while riding down the ever-darkening road to Bevelle. 

She began humming lightly as she watched the sun set. It was a beautiful sight, with the sky turning bright oranges and yellows and even a few tinges of red. Staring at it for a while longer made her think back, however, to less pleasant times. 

When Niet had a splinter embedded in her shoulder...and when Ben had nearly died because they hadn't killed the Chocobo eater quickly enough. She shook her head wildly. That was over with, she shouldn't think back to that now. 

_I can't think about that again._ Yueh turned her chocolate eyes from the sun and instead stared down the road. _If I did..._ She again shook her head, stopping the thought from progressing further. To take her mind of things, she began singing quietly the song that Arashi had imprinted into her head. 

"Kaeru no uta ga, kikoete kuru yo, gwa, gwa, gwa, gwa, gero gero gero gero--" 

"Gwa gwa gwa!" another voice finished. Yueh nearly jumped off the driver's seat before she saw Arashi, wrapped up in her blanket once more, climb up next to her. Arashi handed Yueh a separate blanket, which she gladly accepted. Arashi laughed quietly. "You memorized the frog song already?" 

Yueh nodded, still holding the reins while wrapping herself up tight in the blanket. "Yeah. Hard not to when you sing it all the time." She tapped the reins, bringing the chocobo's pace up to a hearty gallop. "What does it mean, anyway?" 

Arashi thought for a moment, tapping her chin lightly with a finger. "Well, I guess in English, you could sing it as...'This is the frog's song, we can hear it coming.' Then its a bunch of frog sounds in Japanese, so..." She grinned. "'Croak, croak, croak, croak, ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit, croak croak croak.'" 

Yueh cocked her head to one side. "That's...interesting." 

"That's why I prefer the Japanese version," Arashi said, chuckling. There was an odd bit of silence after that as both girls simply stared at the road in front of them. Finally, one of them spoke. 

"Am I the only one who has a really bad feeling about Bevelle?" Yueh asked. 

Arashi rested her elbows on her knees and laid her head on her hands. She let out a sigh. "No, you're not. Something about that place..." 

"...is unsettling to think about," Yueh finished. There was another bit of silence. 

"Maybe its the giant worm that they have for a guardian." 


	30. The Confrontationpart 1

**Gomen that this is late! I had a huuuge field trip this past Friday, which really set me back (I was all sleepy afterwards). For more info, I'll update the blog soon...ish. ^_~;; So! Enjoy the chapter, and...um...sorry about the meeting places being the same. You'll see. It just kind of...happened. GOMEN! Also, if you like (or don't like, but have CONSTRUCTIVE criticism), please either review or AIM me. I love getting both--it always makes me want to write more. ^_^ So, read and enjoy! Ja!**

Mariana had just finished bathing that morning when she heard Genki call from the other room. She quickly got dressed and peeked out of the bathroom. 

"What is it, love?" 

Genki was packing their things in bags on the bed, but Genki himself was halfway under the bed, his rear sticking out on the very edge. Mariana giggled as Genki let out another muffled yell. She could barely make it out as, "I'm stuck!" She trotted over to the bed and grabbed Genki's legs and pulled. It took three good tugs before the couple went flying and hit the wall with a loud crash. He had landed on Mariana's lap, and Mariana laughed again. She hadn't felt this happy since...since before... 

Genki stood up quickly and held out a hand for Mariana to take. They were both standing when Mariana asked, "Love, why were you under the bed in the first place?" 

Genki turned red. "I couldn't find the other shirt I had. I figured maybe it had gotten under the bed. It was, but...it was a bit too far under." 

"Leave it, Genki, we can buy another one." She gave him a quick peck on the lips and went back to clean up the bathroom. "On the way out of Bevelle there are plenty of shops willing to cater to summoner's and their guardians." She grinned and added, in an undertone, "Or their husbands." 

There was a knock at the door, which Genki got to first. Opening the door, he saw the priest that had married them the night before. Unfortunately, Genki could not remember his name. So, he did the Yevon bow and asked, "What brings you here, priest?" 

"There's another lady summoner here, and I thought you and...you and Lady Mariana would like to meet them." The priest looked back into the room, his eyes searching for the summoner. "Is she..." 

Mariana ran out of the bathroom in a hustle. The color had drained from her face, and her eyes looked cold. Genki turned and shivered at the sight of her. She had...something had changed her again. 

"Another lady summoner?" Mariana asked, her voice barely above a whisper. 

The priest nodded, confused. "Yes. Lady Arashi and her guardians, Niet and Yueh, just arrived this morning," he explained. 

Mariana nodded firmly. Grabbing Genki's hand, she strode out the door past the priest. Her hand was as cold as ice. 

_So they've come..._ Her high heels clicked against the marble floors, echoing off the walls. _I may have changed--I may have a husband now, but my past remains the same._ Genki stumbled, his bare feet freezing against the stone. _My ambition, my need to...to see Sin and..._

_So you came, girl. Which one are you, I wonder? Summoner..._ She growled under her breath. _Or guardian?_

*-*-*-*-* 

Yueh let out a low whistle as she viewed her surroundings. Maybe it was because Tidus and the rest had been outlaws at that point, or maybe because she hadn't watched that part of the game that well, but this Bevelle looked even more splendid than its in-game counterpart. The hallways stretched high above her head, and the floors were a cool gray marble. It looked like a Roman temple or hall straight out of mythology. 

Katy was hiding behind the tallest person (namely Arashi), nervously glancing around with her magic-changed eyes. Yueh had done a small, simple spell that, although it would continue to very slowly sap away her MP, would hide the green spirals on the Al Bhed's eyes for the time being. Katy didn't seem convinced, however, that it would work, and now jumped at the sight of any Yevon priest. 

_They must have done something to her family..._

Niet was seated on one of the plush couches that lined the halls, her head leaning back to gaze at the ceiling. She let out an awed, "Wow," before asking, "When do we eat?" 

Yueh nearly fell over. "We just got here!" 

Niet gave her a sheepish look. "But...I'm hungry." She patted her stomach for emphasis. 

Yueh rolled her eyes. "Really, Niet, you're a bottomless pit!" 

The girl grinned. "You say that as if it's a bad thing." Yueh simply shook her head and chuckled. "Besides, I bet the food here is just as delicious as the roof is high." 

"I doubt it," Arashi said, finally turning from inspecting a painting of the late Lord Braska. Katy followed her like a shadow. Arashi began to pace. "Most of the people who cook here are probably servants. Of course, they'll probably get extra pay or something if they cook extra well for us." Yueh thought she was going to continue, but one of the younger priests had come forward, beckoning them to follow him. 

"My Lady Arashi, and guardians," he added as an afterthought, "A feast has been prepared for you. If you will come along with me, I can get you seated and prepared." 

Arashi nodded and followed the now retreating priest. Katy fell in step behind her, and Niet finally removed herself from the comfortable couch to follow the others. 

Yueh stayed behind for a moment, and looked at the paintings surrounding her in the hallway. The faces seemed to convey some sort of feeling that couldn't be described in words, but was the exact same one Yueh felt right now. 

_Like something's about to go wrong, or something's...something's just not right._

"Are you coming, Yueh? Niet might eat all of your helping if you don't hurry!" Arashi shouted from up ahead. 

"More for me!" Niet yelled happily. With that, Yueh dashed forward. 

Whatever those paintings were trying to tell her...it would have to wait. She fell in next to Niet, who was skipping quite merrily down the hall. 

"You frighten me more everyday, Niet," Yueh said. Niet simply giggled, continuing her hopping down the way. At that moment, Yueh heard a clicking sound coming closer from the front side of their line. She peered around Arashi, but instead bumped into her. Luckily, Arashi's footing was secure this time, and neither girl fell over. 

"What--" Yueh looked over Arashi's shoulder and didn't have to finish her question. 

Standing, pale and angry looking as ever, was Mariana, and a young man, who Yueh guessed was Genki. Mariana was breathing quite heavily, perhaps from the run, or maybe, Yueh wondered, was it from anger? The jewel in Mariana's collarbone was glowing a bright green, giving her face an even gaunter look to it. 

"Lady Mariana! I thought you would meet us in the dining hall," the young priest said, his head tilted slightly to the left. He pointed. "It's just down the way, if you want to join us--" 

Yueh stepped next to Arashi as Mariana waved her arm to cut the man off. The priest silenced himself and jumped back a bit, as if her outstretched arm had actually hit him right across the face. 

"Leave us," she commanded. 

"I don't think--" Arashi began. 

"Leave," Mariana said finally, giving an icy stare to Arashi. Arashi didn't react other than to stay quiet, Yueh noted. The priest nodded, gave a quick bow, and hurried off towards the dining hall once more. "And make sure no one interrupts us here," Mariana added to his retreating form. He nodded as he went into the distance. 

Mariana turned her head to the group of four girls that now stood in front of her. "Now, we have not been properly introduced..." She gave a cold smile. "Who is who?" There was a moment of silence. "Come on, now, speak up!" 

"I think you know who we are, you psycho," Yueh said. Mariana laughed shortly. 

"Oh, but dear Paula, you seemed to have changed your names since then, now haven't you?" She gave them all a look over before her eyes turned as cold as the rest of her. "Now...tell me." 

"I'm Arashi, this is Niet, and Paula is Yueh," Arashi said calmly. "And the girl behind me is Katy." 

Mariana looked upon the last girl with a bit of disgust in her voice. "You would bring an Al Bhed into Bevelle?" Katy let out a small gasp and shrank behind Arashi. "How sacrilegious, dear...Arashi, was it?" 

Yueh saw Arashi grit her teeth this time. "Yes. You would do well to not put down the Al Bhed, Mariana. They are trying to accomplish the same goal everyone else is, just in a different manner." 

"They are truly the ones who brought Sin upon us, you do know that?" Mariana asked. No one answered, but this time, an impatient Yueh spoke up. 

"Geez, didn't you even play the game? The only one responsible for Sin--" 

"You would do best to hush, girl!" Mariana shouted. Yueh blinked and took a step back. "For you, until now, Sin was only a dream, a character in a child's game. For me...for me, it was, and always has been a reality." Some color returned to her face in that moment, but only for a second. "You think you can stop Sin like they did in that foolish game. That's only a wish, a dream, a hope. Don't you think others have tried to defeat Sin in less than usual ways? And what happened to them? Every time? They died!" she screamed. Katy cried out and jumped back behind all three girls. 

This wasn't helpful, as Yueh could only watch as Mariana now turned her attention to the poor Al Bhed. "You, you half breed, are just as bad as every Al Bhed to grace this planet. You brought Sin here and do no good to destroy it." 

"She didn't bring it here!" Yueh yelled out. A hush fell over the group as Yueh clenched her fists and closed her eyes. "She didn't, none of them did...I did." 

Mariana smiled, her canines gleaming, "Oh, I know you did, girl, I know you did. And I thank you for it. I would have done it had I not lost...not lost that stone..." Mariana's anger faltered for a moment before returning in full force. "And I will take care of it for you!" 

"None of that," Arashi began, "is true." 

Mariana took another look at Arashi and let out a short laugh. "How would you know? You've never lived in terror of Sin, or even been to Spira except for in that child's toy! How would you know what they've tried or haven't?" 

"That is none of your business," Arashi said, clutching her belt. "Our business does not differ that much from yours, so you should let us try our way, and you can try yours, Mariana." 

"Your business--your--business!" Mariana turned her back to the four girls and Genki, who had stood for the last few minutes bewildered by his summoner's side. He stepped away from Mariana, but she grabbed his arm tightly. She turned, bringing Genki to her other side. Her eyes were wild, dark, and the jewel in her collar bone somehow glowed brighter. 

"It was never your business!" she screamed out. Her voice was scratchy to the point of sounding almost demonic. All four girls stepped back, and Genki looked bewildered at Mariana. 

"Ma--Mariana--" 

"It was never your business to begin with! And I think you should stay out of it!" Mariana began to float above them all, releasing her grip on Genki's arm. He fell to the floor with a gasp for breath. 

_Don't tell me...please don't tell me that this part is going to be the same as the game,_ Yueh pleaded in her mind. _Please, don't make us..._

Fate had a different idea. Mariana's eyes began to glow like her jewel, and in the next second, all four girls dodged and rolled out of the way of a shockwave of wind and thunder. Katy smacked her head into a wall, which made her stumble around slightly when she got up. Arashi ended up hitting a couch, Niet, a plant, and Yueh also hit the wall--but not with her head. 

The four stood up against the gale winds. Yueh's long bangs whipped behind her as she watched Mariana float ever higher and higher. Finally, Mariana was only feet from the tall ceiling, and shooting small lighting bolts from fingertip to fingertip. 

The four girls formed a line, with Katy and Niet on the outside, and Yueh and Arashi in the middle. Yueh and Arashi looked at each other for a moment. 

"Let's hope she isn't as hard as Seymour to fight," Arashi said quietly. 

Yueh swallowed hard and stared up at Mariana, then back to Genki, who was cowering in a corner, wondering what had happened to his wife. 

_Let's hope that we don't get in huge trouble for this, either..._


	31. The Confrontation part 2

**The second part of the Confrontation! Ooooh! And trust me, this story is FAAAAAR from over. For those of you who like long stories, that's a good thing. Otherwise...yeh. Please don't get mad at my pacing. ^_^;;; Anyway, I hope you continue to like the story, and thanks sooo much for the reviews and IMs! I appreciate them so much! Keep 'em coming, please! ^_^ V And a late Happy B-day to Niet's real-life counterpart, Saito! ::cheers:: Happy Birthday--it was this past Saturday!! And on with the next chapter!!**

The girls had to jump away from one another again as Mariana threw another bolt of electricity at them. Niet pulled out her sword, considered it for a moment, but quickly sheathed it once more. She looked at Yueh across the hallway. 

"She's too far away--I can't hit her with it!" she shouted out. 

Yueh took a quick glance at Katy, who also shrugged. "I don't have anything to attack with..." 

"...Arashi? Please tell me you have something to fight her with?" Yueh asked, gulping. Arashi didn't respond, and Yueh prompted her again. "Arashi? Arashi?" 

Arashi never responded. Instead, she pulled out her jeweled belt and began to swing it around lightly, singing as she went. Yueh couldn't understand the song, except that it was in Japanese. Was she calling an aeon? 

"Fine, then, I'll go!" Yueh shouted out. She gathered up a fire spell and heaved it at Mariana, screaming out, "This is for making my family think I'm crazy!" The spell spiraled in the air, and once it reached Mariana, it stopped dead. Mariana outstretched her hands and clapped them together over the spell. 

It disappeared in a small puff of smoke. 

"Not good, not good, not good," Yueh said under her breath. She looked at Arashi. "Still dancing..." She gave a sigh and grabbed her flute from her belt, hoping it would give her a stronger spell. Her melody fell in sync with Arashi's, and both started to dance around the other, dodging lightning from Mariana as they went. 

"Stop--MOVING!" she screamed out from above. Yueh grinned mentally--at least they had managed to get some sort of verbal response out of her. _But can't anyone try to attack her while we're doing this?_

Suddenly, Niet smacked her forehead and pulled out her rapier. "I forgot!" She did a quick spin and flung her rapier high into the air, shouting out, "Boomerang rapier! Take that!" The sword flew through the air, spinning like an overly large throwing dagger. However, the one heavy end with the handle seemed to throw the spinning off kilter, and it clattered off the ceiling behind Mariana. 

The woman laughed. "Nice throw." 

Niet smirked. "Look again." 

"Huh?" Mariana turned her head just in time to see the rapier fly at her waist. She couldn't move quickly enough out of the way, and it gave a good, deep scar on her back, finally returning to its owner, who grinned. 

"I did say boomerang..." 

_And just in time..._ Both melodies and the dances ended as the earth started to shake. From the ground burst a super-powered Ifrit--Dante to Arashi. The aeon was now embedded in a constant state of flames, so it was good that this time, Arashi did not land on his shoulder. Instead, she landed cat-like only a few feet away from the aeon. Yueh landed on the opposite side, her flute tucked safely back in her belt. 

"A fiery Ifrit--nice," Yueh commented, nodding her head. 

"Ikimashou, Dante!" Arashi pointed to Mariana. "Get her, but please...don't kill her." 

"Don't kill her?" Niet screamed out. "But--she's trying to kill us--" 

"Think of the trouble we'd get in," Yueh pointed out. "We'd end up like Yuna and company..." 

"Martyrs," Katy finished, nodding. "Right." 

"Dante--attack!" Arashi shouted finally, pointing to Mariana once more. The aeon leaned back on its haunches and sprang forward at the flying summoner. Flying through the air in its flames, it came in contact with Mariana, only to be thrown back into the marble flooring and make a deep trench. Yueh winced and dodged a particularly large piece of marble that had been thrown up. 

"I don't think that worked," Niet sang lightly. Yueh gave her a small look. 

"Like we don't know that?" Yueh looked around for Katy, and found her in the corner by Genki. She was kneeling and working on something. "Katy! Hey!" 

"Just a second!" She waved her hand loosely at the other three girls. 

"Let's hope that's an overdrive," Yueh muttered under her breath. 

"I'm not letting you go!" Mariana screamed from above. A small trickle of blood fell from the wound in her back, hitting the floor and splattering across the marble. She released a hoarse cry and threw down a group of lightning bolts. Niet and Yueh dodged the electric attack, but Arashi was hit full on and thrown into the same pit that Dante had fallen into moments earlier. 

"Arashi!" 

Mariana laughed and threw another wave of electricity into the pit. 

Two arms, one human and one Dante's, raised slowly out of the pit. The lightning bounced off of an invisible power shield and rocketed back to the ceiling, straight at Mariana. She fell from the sky and hit the ground with a loud thud. 

"Mariana!" Genki shouted. He ran forward, but hit another power shield, this time, around his wife. Yueh winced as he was thrown back into the wall and hit the floor next to Katy. She didn't seem to notice. 

Yueh whirled her head around to see Arashi and Dante moving as one out of the pit and back onto the marble. Wind flew around Arashi and Dante, blowing the flames haphazardly off of Dante and harmlessly into the marble. Arashi's gray eyes were shining with the same fire. It was hard to recognize her as the laughing girl from just a few hours ago. 

"Done!" Katy announced, standing up. She held up a small, spherical object that looked rather like an overly large bouncy ball. Yueh shushed her and watched Arashi and Dante approach Mariana, who remained face down on the floor. 

"Mariana." The woman looked up at Arashi and Dante weakly, but with the same ice in her eyes. 

_Fire and ice...kind of ironic._ Mariana stood up tall and reached Arashi's height. They stared each other in the eyes for a moment, neither one speaking. 

Niet mumbled quietly, "What exactly is going on?" 

Yueh shrugged. "I'm not quite sure..." 

"Mariana, you know this isn't what you want," Arashi said. "This isn't how it's supposed to be." 

"None of this," Mariana replied, "is how it's supposed to be. I never would have been here, never, if--" 

"I know, Mariana," Arashi said quietly. "I already know." 

Mariana's face turned foul. "You don't know anything!" She threw another charge of lighting, which simply passed around both Arashi and Dante's force field. Flying into the air with another grunt, she screamed again. 

"I know enough!" Arashi yelled out to her. She began to gesture, and Dante mimicked her every move in an odd sort of puppet show. "Go ahead and try what you will, Mariana, it won't change anything! You can't change the past, but the future is up to you! Don't let the past rule your future!" 

"I--no!" Mariana threw another bolt, which again flew around the force field and into the ground without a scratch. 

"Fine then!" Katy stood up with her super ball-like weapon. She tossed it up at Mariana, shouting out, "You won't listen to reason, then listen to this!" The ball hit Mariana smack in the stomach and burst into a thousand little pieces, all of which let out an ear-shattering sound. Yueh fell to the ground, feeling weak. Mariana again hit the floor and fell at Arashi's feet. Arashi was the only one who, with Dante, remained standing. 

Yueh could barely hear what was said. 

"Mariana. Leave now, and keep going. I hope you can see what I mean..." Arashi trailed off and seemed to lift Mariana and Genki with a small gust of wind. "We'll explain what happened." 

The ice in Mariana's eyes seemed to have melted finally. She took a dazed Genki's hand and almost floated across the floor. She took one sad look back at Arashi and left the grand hallway. 

Arashi sunk to her knees and dismissed Dante with a small toss of her hand. Dante gave a small, respectful nod and hopped back into the nothingness that he had come from. Lastly, Arashi fell in a heap to the floor with a large sigh. 

"Arashi!" Yueh shouted out. She ran to the summoner's side, along with a still slightly groggy Niet and Katy. The young priest came running back, his eyes trying to take in what had happened. 

"This--where is Lady Mariana? And what--who--?" 

Yueh looked down at the sleeping form of Arashi. _She didn't want this fight. None of us really did, I guess. I wonder..._

Standing up, Yueh said, "A sinspawn somehow managed to get inside the building. Lady Mariana could...sense it. That is why you had to leave." 

Niet giggled lightly, trying to push off the memory of what had just happened. "Sorry about the floor in the hallway..." 

Katy simply grunted, again going back to keeping her head down towards the ground. 

"Can someone help us carry...carry the summoner to a room?" Yueh asked quietly. The priest nodded and ran to get another person to help the group out. Yueh let out a low sigh and looked again at Arashi, who seemed so peaceful compared to the fiery-eyed girl she had just seen minutes ago. 

_The past...I wonder what Arashi and Mariana were talking about?_ She sat down and waited for the priest to come back. _A past that they know something about, but we...we're left in the dark. And how does she know?_

Inexplicably, Yueh's gaze was drawn once more to the glasses falling off of Arashi's nose and the jeweled belt at her waist. 

_What aren't you telling us? And why?_

*-*-*-*-* 

Genki was being pulled down the road unceremoniously by Mariana. She was running blindly down the roadway to the next city, breathing rather slowly for the speed she was keeping. Genki couldn't even think clearly, everything had just happened so…so fast. 

Mariana, meanwhile, was muttering under her breath. 

"None of her business, the girl…" She spat. "Yueh…talking and saying…Sin isn't just a dream…Sin cannot be…cannot be killed…" Shaking her head, she pushed herself and Genki even faster. "Can't let her win…I can't let her win. I will…I will get the aeons." 

Her eyes froze once more. "Get the aeons…and call upon Sin to do my will." 

Genki stared blankly ahead on the road. He couldn't quite remember where he was going, or what he was doing. His mind was still in the past, still stuck at around a quarter of an hour ago. He couldn't quite figure out what had just happened, or why. 

"Ma…Mariana…" Genki's voice stopped Mariana in her tracks. She turned around and stared the young man in his brown eyes. 

"What?" she asked coldly. Genki flinched under her gaze, but didn't let go of his question. 

"What…what past were they talking about?" 

Mariana's left eye twitched. She had avoided talking about it so far… 

"…I'm from Spira. I was born there and remained there until I was five, when my parents were killed by Sin and I…" She paused, thinking for a moment. "…and I was brought here. That is the past she referred to." Nodding to herself, as if this was enough, she walked on, tugging Genki further. 

Yet, Genki wasn't ready to leave. "Isn't…isn't there anything else to it? I mean…how did you get here?" 

One of Mariana's hands traveled to her collarbone, where her jewel rested in her skin. It seemed dull now, compared to the bright glow it had been before in the battle. She kept on forward, deciding to not say anything. 

"Mariana--!" 

"Before we must leave this plane, Genki," Mariana promised. "Right before we must leave this plane to finish Sin for a short time…I will tell you." 

Genki swallowed hard and finally willingly followed Mariana at a quickened pace. Leave this plane…he didn't quite like the sound of that. Then again, he had married her…wasn't it his duty to do this now? 

_I'm in love with a very psychotic woman, I guess…_ He held on tightly to her hand, and moved his feet as fast as they would carry his weary self. _But I'll stay with her…until…until…_

His mind wouldn't let him finish the sentence. 


	32. Anacondaur Attack

**Whee! A new chap. What's new? Um...the next update won't be for about a week and a half. I've been gone from school and have to catch up, guys! Gomen! But please enjoy this chapter while you wait...Ja! And please review if you feel so inclined. ^_^** 

Yueh was thankful that, by the time the four girls had just walked past the kitchen, Arashi awoke in the priest's arms. She simply hopped from his grasp and walked into the kitchen, commenting on how delicious everything smelled. 

Yueh blinked slowly, and Katy pointed. "Is she...does she do things like that a lot?" 

Niet shrugged. "She's always doing weird stuff. Now, let's eat!" She jogged in the kitchen after Arashi, leaving Katy, Yueh, and the priest to stare. Finally, Yueh and Katy followed and sat down across from Arashi and Niet, grabbed a plate each, and dug into the smorgasbord. 

As they ate, Yueh laid out the itinerary for the last legs of the pilgrimage. 

"We'll use the wagon as far as we can. The chocobos should be able to carry us until Mount Gagazet, and from there on we'll have to walk again." Niet groaned, and Yueh went on regardless. "From there, it's to...well, you guys know. And we'll tackle it and reach it before Mariana can even lay eyes on it." She nodded to finish her statement and took another mouthful of rice and beef. 

It was then that Arashi looked up and past Yueh, smiling. She laughed and said, "Well, gals, you'll never guess who just walked in." 

Yueh turned around to see, of all people, Ben. His hair was still bleach blond, but he had even more of a tan than he had had when they'd first met him. He gave a lopsided grin and threw out a small, mock salute. 

"Yo." He scratched the back of his head. "Can I...sit down?" He gestured to the seat next to a now red-faced Katy. Yueh and Arashi nodded and Ben gave a short bow as thanks. He looked around nervously before talking in a rather low whisper. 

"I heard that you got sick, Arashi, so I bolted out to check up on you. Most of the good games were already over, anyway," he explained, taking a plate and piling on food. "When I got to the other temple, they said you had left, so I skipped past the Moonflow and got here, and--" he quieted his voice even more, to Yueh's annoyance "--I saw the whole deal with Mariana. I don't know what exactly is up, but it doesn't sound good. I feel sorry for Genki." 

Yueh sighed. "We're leaving after we eat to catch up and pass her. As for Genki...I dunno." 

Katy looked up from her plate and at Ben, then to Arashi. "Um…who's he?" 

Ben smacked his forehead with his palm. "Sorry! I should have--I'm Ben. I was a sort of…um…" He looked to Arashi and Niet for the words. "…a…tag-along?" 

Katy nodded and stared again at her plate. Ben coughed uneasily in the silence. 

"Um…what's your name?" 

"…Katy," she said quietly. 

Yueh grinned as the two looked at each other for a long moment. _Another relationship, I guess…_

*-*-*-*-*

They took off to the temple a short while later, Katy and Ben conversing at the end of their little line. Arashi headed the way in, and when they stepped into the Cloister of Trials, the five of them split apart and began working on the puzzle to enter. Katy managed to piece the whole thing together, and the five entered the waiting room outside the Chamber of the Fayth. Arashi had just opened the door, so the other four were settling in for a good length of a stay when the blond was rocketed back and straight into Ben. The two hit the wall, and the door to the Chamber slammed shut. 

Yueh ran to the two on the floor and began talking rapidly. "Arashi! Arashi, are you okay? Can you talk? Did you break anything?" Arashi tapped her head, where her goggles normally sat. "You hurt your head?" 

"No," she said slowly, "I lost my goggles. They're jammed in the Fayth's door." She pointed, and Yueh followed where her finger led to the pair of red-lensed goggles stuck in the very corner of the door. 

"That and I really hurt my thigh…" She trailed off and stood up uneasily. Limping to the door, she began to tug on the goggles. 

"But--what happened?" Niet babbled. "I mean, what about the Fayth? The aeon? Did you get it, or--why did you--?" 

"I got it," Arashi said quietly. She continued to pull on the goggles. "I can tell that I received the aeon, but the Fayth..." She trailed off as she gave a final tug on her goggles, which freed themselves from the door, again flinging Arashi a good distance backwards. Sticking them triumphantly on her neck, she went on. "The only reason I can see is that, is that..." 

"The Fayth sense the need for us to hurry," Yueh finished. Arashi nodded. Sighing, Yueh sat back down on the stone floor. She hung her head down low. "Wonderful..." 

"So we should get going, right?" Katy piped up. Ben stood up finally and nodded once. 

"Yeah. Right away." He stomped out of the room, Katy following closely behind. Arashi came after them, and Niet and Yueh were the last out. 

They set out for the Calm Lands immediately thereafter. Ben, Katy, and Niet remained in the back, while Yueh took on the job of driving with Arashi as the navigator. 

"We should tell Ben and Katy to stay in the Calm Lands once we pass through," Yueh said quietly. Arashi gave her a small glance, her gray eyes rather calm. 

"Why?" 

Yueh's bangs covered her eyes and she simply stared down the road. "I don't want them to get hurt. Katy's seen enough bad things, and we already almost killed Ben once." She shook her head. "I don't want either of them killed in this craziness." 

Arashi nodded thoughtfully and looked back at the two aforementioned people. "I don't think they'd quite mind staying with each other..." 

"Really?" Yueh turned back for a moment, and saw the two leaning against each other silently, with Niet's nose busy in her book. Giving a small chuckle, she faced forward once more. "I guess you're right." 

"Some good things do come out of bad things, Yueh," Arashi said slowly. Yueh gave her a quick look. Arashi's eyes were trained on the road as she spoke. "Good things can come out of the bad." 

"I guess you're right," Yueh said again. She kept her eyes on the road and gently tapped the reins. "But we still need to hurry. We...I need to get to Zanarkand before they do. Before Mariana..." 

"I know, Yueh." She could hear just a hint of sadness in Arashi's voice. "I know..." 

The jewels on her belt glinted in the sunlight, and Yueh finally asked what she had been dying to know. 

"Arashi...where'd you get that belt? And the glasses?" 

Arashi let out a small giggle. Waving her hand, she shook her head. "A friend. You'll find out, soon enough." She let out a happy sigh. "Soon enough..." 

Yueh just groaned under her breath. "I should've known that you wouldn't have told me..." 

Arashi simply went into another fit of giggles. Sighing, Yueh sped up the chocobos to their full speed. Arashi took a look at the yellow-feathered creatures and shouted out to the back, "Hold on tight!"

Yueh braced herself, and hoped that Niet and the others had heard Arashi yell out. Arashi held onto the wagon with one hand and grinned as she threw a large Hastega spell at the chocobos. Everyone already in the wagon was flung to the very back, and both girls in the front were almost thrown into the wagon. Yueh let out a yell of pure joy and grinned back at Arashi. 

_Good things really do come out of the bad. They really, honestly do..._

*-*-*-*-*

They reached the Calm Lands in the middle of the night, with the only one awake being Yueh. The Hastega had worn off a few hours ago, but the chocobos still seemed to be feeling aftereffects of the spell. Their steps seemed lighter than usual. 

Arashi had fallen asleep on Yueh's shoulder, but with every bump, she came closer and closer to falling into the wagon. Ben and Katy had fallen asleep in each others arms, a large blanket over them, and Niet had her book rested on her stomach, rising and falling with each breath she took. 

Quite quickly, the restful mood of the Calm Lands became full of chaos. Three anacondaurs were slithering towards the wagon at a high speed, and one fired a stone beam right over Yueh's head. She ducked, and the blanket covering Katy and Ben turned into a very heavy stone. The two woke up screaming, and that quickly woke the other two girls up. 

"What? Huh? Nani?" Arashi said, sitting up. Another stone beam shot straight at Arashi. 

"Look out!" Yueh shouted. She shoved Arashi into the wagon, and she tumbled over with a small screech. The beam this time hit a backpack, morphing it into stone and consequently breaking the back wheel of the wagon and bringing the whole ride to a rather unpleasant halt. The chocobos began squealing and trying to go in opposite directions of one another. 

"Everyone up! Anacondaur attack! Wagon broke! Up!" Yueh shouted finally. She hopped out of the wagon and pulled out her flute. Niet was groggy and stumbled out of the wagon. Ben and Katy were trapped underneath the stone blanket, so Arashi jumped up and tried to break the thing by hopping on it a few times. The stone finally cracked under her weight, and Ben managed to free him and Katy. 

All five of them were finally out of the wagon and facing the anacondaurs, all three of whom did not look particularly happy. Just behind them, Yueh could see two figures, now stone, which had been running from the sinspawn before they were frozen. 

"Anacondaurs!" Niet shouted sleepily. She yawned and went on. "About 6000 HP each. Absorbs thunder...it shouldn't--" another yawn "--it shouldn't take us long." She tossed her book haphazardly back into the wagon, which shook and cracked the first wheel once more. 

"Nice one," Yueh muttered. She grabbed her flute and began a usual melody, dancing as she went to dodge the stone beams. Ben and Niet began slashing wildly at the one farthest to the right, and Katy began throwing some sort of water gem at the one on the left. Arashi began singing again, in a different rhythm than when she called Ifrit or Tsuki. 

Niet and Ben did a final X-mark slash on the third anacondaur, striking it with an overkill that sent it flying into pyreflies. They began helping Katy with the first one, and Yueh finished her melody that sent a large wave of water straight at the second anacondaur, bringing it down to half of its health. 

Arashi had finished chanting, and the sky seemed to part as Bahamut came flying down until it stood in front of the summoner. Yueh stared at it in awe for a moment, suddenly remembering a time when she had thought all of this was just some glorious game. 

"Betty!" _Betty?!?_ "Itte!" Arashi pointed at the anacondaur, and Bahamut responded with a roar and a quick tackle sort of attack into the sinspawn. It scattered into pyreflies and ceased to be. 

"Yeah!" Yueh shouted out. She watched as Niet and Ben finished the last anacondaur without a hitch. Ben and Katy went to collect the spoils, and Yueh pointed out the two stone statues of people just in the distance. 

The trio ran up to the two statues. 

"I can't see well enough," Arashi said, peering at one of the faces of the statues. "Can we get a little light, Yueh?" 

"With pleasure." Yueh brought up a small Fire spell, resting it just above her hands. She brought the flame near the first figure's face. The light shone on a young girl's face that Yueh didn't recognize. 

"Okay, now this one," Arashi said. Yueh nodded and brought the flame up to the second face. All three gasped with recognition. 

"O'aka?!?"


	33. Meet the Family

**And I'm off from my vacation! I had this whole end of the quarter thing to deal with, so sorry for taking so long to update. The updates will be weekly once again after this, lol. So! As usual, responses are nice...I like reviews...and pleeease enjoy!** 

"Okay, time for some softs," Arashi announced. She looked to Yueh. "So, do we have any?" 

"Oh, yeah, right!" Yueh said suddenly. She ran back to the broken wagon (which Ben and Katy were attempting to set back up on a sort of jack system) and grabbed the item pack from the very back. Jogging back, she pulled out two softs and threw them to Arashi, who bobbled them and finally got a hold of the two items just before they fell. 

"Wakey wakey..." Arashi poured the contents of the vials over the two statues, who began to slowly transform back into living human beings. 

The first to regain themselves was O'aka, who, before anything else, began shouting at the girl beside him. 

"Nikko, you've go'a run, forge' th' items!" he screamed out. He suddenly seemed aware of his surroundings and the lack of anacondaurs and became incredibly quiet. Flushing, he gave a deep bow to Arashi and Yueh, who were both on the verge of laughing. "Sorry, m'lady Arashi, ye see, this--this is m'sister..." 

Yueh scrunched her face up in thought. _Sister?_

"But dad'll kill us if we leave the--" The young girl blinked and twirled around, surveying the scene. "Hey, where'd the anacondaurs go?" She looked at Yueh and squinted, confused. "And who're these people?" 

O'aka managed to turn a deeper shade of red at the last question. "This, Nikko, is Lady Arashi an' 'er guardians, Yueh righ' here an' Niet o'er there by th'wagon. Ah, I see Ben is o'er there, too, eh? He caught up?" 

"Yeah, he rejoined," Arashi said, nodding. She tilted her head to one side. "You said...your sister, O'aka?" 

"Uh huh! I'm Nikko! Pleased to meet ya!" The girl gave a small, pleasant bow before popping back up to show a grin. "I'm trying to help set up a machina shop along with items, but..." Her swirled green eyes gave an awful look to O'aka. "He doesn't think it would do well." 

"I tol' you, no summoner's goin' to buy a machina from an'one! Yevonites don' use 'em!" O'aka said, throwing his arms up in the air. 

"Maybe they would, if they had a chance to!" Nikko shouted, her face going red. 

"They think machina're evil! Ye'll get kill'd!" O'aka yelled back. His cap started falling of off his head. 

"I have my axe, I can take care of myself!" she screamed, taking a large, silver axe out of her backpack. She held it in front of her in a rather threatening manner. "I am perfectly capable of--" 

Yueh coughed loudly, and both parties quit shouting to turn and look at her. 

"We have a broken wagon, and it's late, and we'd like to get to the inn..." She trailed off, giving the fighting siblings both a stern look. 

O'aka blinked, and Nikko threw up her arms and stormed off towards the wagon. O'aka removed the hat from his head and bowed again, murmuring, "Sorry...righ', righ', we'll get righ' on that..." He wandered towards the wagon and began helping Ben hoist up the rear end of the wagon and tried to get it balanced to stay up. 

"I swear, even Marvin and I didn't fight that much," Yueh grumbled. She began to walk towards the wagon and pointed her next question at Arashi. "Do you and your brother ever fight like that?" 

Arashi's face formed into an unreadable expression. "I...no, we never did. At least, not since we were little." She cleared her throat and followed O'aka's wayward path to the wagon. 

Yueh furrowed her eyebrows before shaking it off. Arashi was just weird, that was all... 

As Yueh approached the wagon, the sounds of Nikko and O'aka fighting were easily heard once more. Ben, Katy, and Niet had stopped messing with the wagon and were now trying to ignore the increasing volume of the battling siblings. 

"Let me call Ultimate Machina! It can lift and tow this thing all the way to the inn and--" 

"I tol' ye, it doesn't work! Lady Arashi is a summoner, she doesn't wan' to use machina, ye see?" O'aka continued to hold the wagon up as Nikko threw two wooden boxes from the wagon underneath it. 

"She won't be using it! I will! I'm offering my services for free! A sample, you see?" O'aka dropped the wagon onto the boxes with a particularly loud crash. The two were now staring each other down again. "It's just good business!" She tugged at the bottom of her baby blue tank top in frustration. "You have no business sense!" 

"I 'ave more sense than ye do!" O'aka screamed out suddenly. "An' you can' use the machina!" 

"Why not?!" 

O'aka's face turned from red to white in a matter of a millisecond. He coughed and turned away from her. "Ye jus' can'." 

Yueh watched, rather amused, as Nikko tromped around her brother to look him in the eye again. "Why not?" she asked through gritted teeth. 

"Because..." He looked down and began to shy away from her. "I took it apar', so ye couldn' use it..." 

Nikko's scream could be heard throughout all of the Calm Lands.

*-*-*-*-*

The two siblings continued bickering all through the walk and towing of the wagon. Yueh and Niet led the chocobos in front of the wagon, and they pulled it slowly as the other five took turns holding up the one rear side of the wagon in place of the wheel. When the group of seven finally reached the inn, Yueh's ears were ringing and she was certain that, at that point, both O'aka's and Nikko's throats were hoarse. 

The innkeeper, who was wearing a nightgown and had her hair up in a rather sloppy attempt at a bun, bustled about for the group, readying rooms and promising food in the morning, when her cook was up and more with it. Arashi thanked the lady and ushered the girls into one very cramped room, and left the two guys to sort out sleeping arrangements in the other room. 

Nikko was grumbling under her breath. Yueh could only hear a few words, like, "idiot" and "he'll pay," but she had the distinct feeling she knew what she was muttering about. 

"I'm going to see what he did to my machina. I'll see you in the morning," Nikko announced suddenly. She stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind her. 

Arashi paid no attention to this and instead flopped on the bed and began snoring within seconds. Niet sighed and resigned herself to sleep on the couch, while Katy settled into a corner with the mass of blankets that was in the wagon. 

Yueh sat down in the only chair in the room and laid herself across it at an odd angle, trying to get comfortable. Just as she did, Niet commanded, "Turn off the light..." 

"Lantern," Katy corrected groggily. 

"Whatever," Niet mumbled, turning over, "just turn it off..." 

Yueh cursed silently and got back up to blow out the lantern's flame. She finally slumped back in the chair and fell asleep minutes later.

*-*-*-*-*

Genki, meanwhile, was also in the Calm Lands, but instead was seated on one of the high cliffs, trying to keep warm from the cold winds and stay away from fiends during the night. He shivered and pulled his blanket tighter around him. His eyes looked to Mariana, who was cursing loudly after not being able to start a half-decent fire. She finally resigned and sat next to Genki, shifting herself and getting close to him under the blanket. 

Mariana remained silent, and Genki didn't pressure her to talk. She hadn't said much at all since leaving Bevelle. In fact, besides cursing at the fire and at a couple of fiends they had encountered, she hadn't said a word. 

Mariana moved again under the blanket, wrapping her bare arms around Genki and sighing. He pulled the blanket around the two of them, covering even their heads. 

Genki wasn't quite sure at this point which was colder: the wind whipping above them, or the look in Mariana's eyes since they had left Bevelle.

*-*-*-*-*

Yueh was the first to wake up the next morning, her nose alerting her to a delicious smelling breakfast just down the hallway. She looked around the room and, seeing no one else up, began the usual ritual of shaking everyone awake. Arashi was the last person she tried to get up. 

"Arashi…" She poked the summoner on the shoulder. "Arashi. Arashi! Ar-a-shi!" Yueh began shouting in the girl's ear. "Wake up! Its time for breakfast!" 

Katy turned her head to one side. "Is Arashi all right?" 

Niet waved a hand lightly. "She's always this hard to wake up. Try pushing her off of the bed, Yueh." 

"Okay!" Yueh gave Arashi a neat shove onto the floor, where she made a loud thud and woke up. 

"Hmm? Breakfast? All right, let's go," Arashi said simply. She walked out of the doorway leaving a laughing Yueh and Niet in her wake. Katy just stared at the empty doorway. 

After breakfast, Arashi and Niet went to see how the wagon was being repaired, and Yueh got the job of telling Katy and Ben that they were staying behind. She found the two sitting together in front of the inn, both leaning over a book that Yueh recognized as an Al Bhed primer. _So Ben's learning Al Bhed…_

"Hi, guys!" Yueh said cheerfully as she approached. "How're you two doing?" 

"Wha--oh, hey, Yueh," Ben said, looking up finally. Katy looked up as well and gave a quiet smile. Ben quickly turned his eyes back to the book, asking, "So its basically a simple cipher?" 

"I guess, yes, in a sense," Katy replied. Yueh coughed loudly and the two looked back up again. "What is it?" 

Yueh took a deep breath and said, "I have to tell you guys something. We're leaving for Mount Gagazet later this morning, and I--" 

"Oh, yeah, I was gonna tell you," Ben interrupted. "We…" He looked at Katy, who blushed. "We're going to stay behind, I think." 

"--agree wholeheartedly with your decision!" Yueh finished, a goofy smile on her face. "I wish you could come with, but I guess things happen, and…" She trailed off as the two returned to the book and to ignoring her. She turned around and let out a sigh of relief. _At least they agree, I guess._ Yueh then turned her attention to finding Niet and Arashi and the broken, hopefully repaired now, wagon. She heard a couple of recognizable shouts and walked towards the sounds. _Where there's shouting, O'aka and Nikko are certain to be close-by…_

Around the back of the building, Yueh found Niet and Arashi plugging their ears as Nikko and O'aka fought angrily as they both continued to work on the back wheel of the wagon. Yueh winced as the wagon jerked back and forth between both people's hands as they fought. 

"You ruined Ultimate Machina! It took me half the night just to get it back to running!" Nikko shouted, placing a new wheel at the back of the wagon. 

O'aka tore the wagon from her hands and adjusted it next to the axle. "I tol' ye, ye couldn' jus' leave th' thing lyin' aroun'! Some Yevonites were in here earlier, an' they tol' me to destroy th' thing!" He grabbed a hammer and began pounding on the wheel to stick onto the axle. 

Nikko, left with nothing else to do, began pacing around her brother, throwing her hands up in the air at random points during her speck. "It doesn't matter! It's my property! Mom gave that to me! It protects me! Gets me where I need to go! I need it as a mode of transportation!" 

O'aka gave the wheel a final hit, making sure it was fully on the axle and would stay there. He threw away the hammer after he had finished and stood up to face Nikko. "Ye don' need a 'mode o' transportation!' I walk'd all th' way here! I never needed a vehi'le!" 

Yueh couldn't take it anymore. "Is the wagon fixed, O'aka?" 

"Yes!" he shouted at Yueh, caught up in the moment. He quickly went back to shouting at his sister, ignoring the other three girls. 

Arashi and Niet hopped in the wagon, and Yueh went up to the front, where the chocobos were already hitched. She gave the chocobos a light tap with the reins and led them out to the front of the inn. 

"Blissful peace," she muttered when she was out of earshot of the arguing siblings. Niet joined Yueh out on the front of the wagon and waved a goodbye to the studying couple. Arashi peeked out of the front and gave a mini-Yevon bow and said, "Sayounara!" 

"So!" Niet said, pulling out the map. "Where to next?" 

"Our next stop is Mount Gagazet," Arashi said quietly. Yueh looked at the sprawling bit of Calm Lands in front of her and let out a small sigh. 

"Our adventure is coming to an end," she murmured to herself. Arashi picked this up and gave a small smile. 

"To the contrary, Yueh. This is only the beginning…" With this, Arashi retreated to the back of the wagon, pulling one of the blankets over herself with a satisfied sigh. 

"I don't think I'll ever get her," Yueh mumbled. 

"Neither do I," Niet chimed in, shaking her head. "Neither do I." 


	34. Back to the Beginning

**I am sooooo sorry! I've been busy. There was this whole party at school, and between that and PROM....gr. Anyway! PLEEEEASE review and enjoy the chap! The next one will be ESPECIALLY interesting, BTW, lol...have fun!**

It was only a half hour later when the group reached the entrance leading up to Mt. Gagazet. Niet packed the backpacks once more and all three girls bid a sad farewell to the chocobos and the wagon, unhitching the former and sending them back towards the inn with a small note around their necks. 

"'Property of Lady Arashi and her Guardians,'" Yueh wrote in an untidy, hurried scrawl. "'Take care of them until one of us, if any, return. If none return after the Calm, please give to either Ben of New Besaid or Katy of the Al Bhed. Thank you, and may Yevon be with you.'" Yueh had to stop her gag reflex while writing the last part. 

The trio watched as the chocobos sped off into the distance, and Niet let out a sigh before turning to face the entrance. 

"We're back to where we started: three girls with backpacks and empty stomachs." 

Yueh almost fell over. "Niet, we ate just an hour ago!" 

Niet gave a haughty look. "I have stupid metabolism…" 

"She gets bad gas mileage," Arashi quipped, passing both of them into the entrance. 

"Ye--Hey!" Niet shouted, running after the blond. 

Yueh shook her head. They really were back to the beginning…but so close to the end, too. I'd better think of something soon, or else, we really will die. She followed the other two through the darkish small cave and felt a chill go over her. At first, she chalked it up to nervousness, but then she remembered what the climate of Gagazet was like. 

"Samui da yo," Arashi commented quietly. _'Its cold.'_ She pulled a blanket out of Niet's pack and wrapped it around her shoulders and backpack. 

"Hey, that's mine! I'm cold too!" Niet said indignantly, trying to pull the blanket off Arashi's back. 

"Watashi no," Arashi insisted. _'Mine.' _She tugged at the blanket, and Niet lost her grip, falling into a now decent covering of snow. She shivered. 

"I'm the one wearing shorts and a tank top," Yueh piped up. "I'm the one who needs the blanket, really…" She heard a growl of dissent from up ahead, and tried (unsuccessfully) to cover up a gasp. 

She was staring straight into the fierce, unblinking eyes of a Ronso. Yueh swallowed hard and gave a small bow. "Uh, hi." 

"Summoner need blanket more than Guardian," the Ronso stated with a grunt. Yueh shrunk back and nodded quietly. The male Ronso was much scarier than she had ever imagined. 

"I think we could all use blankets," Arashi said, stepping up. She stared down the Ronso silently for a moment. "Do you have cloaks that we could buy?" 

"That her job," the Ronso said, pointing with a sharp claw just down the snowy road to a female Ronso sitting on a rock next to a large leather bag. Arashi nodded thanks and strode calmly forward. Niet got up and trailed Yueh, who kept her head down low and avoiding eye contact from the Ronso. How can Arashi look these guys in the eye? 

Arashi approached the female Ronso and bowed deeply. "Hello. I am Arashi, and these are my guardians, Yueh and Niet." She pointed to them in turn, and Yueh gave a nervous wave. The female Ronso regarded the two with a nod before turning her gaze back to Arashi. 

"What you like, Summoner?" 

Yueh sneezed, and gained a glare from both Ronso within sight. She winced and stood behind Niet to hide herself from the two. You'd think they'd never heard someone sneeze before. 

Arashi largely ignored this. "I would like three cloaks, if you have them." She pulled the blanket over her shoulders tightly as if to prove a point. "We're all rather cold, and they don't sell anything like that in the Calm Lands." 

The female Ronso nodded thoughtfully. "Cloaks. Jinka make cloaks well. What colors?" 

"Uh…" Arashi looked back at the other two. "Colors, guys?" 

"Forest green," Niet said. 

"Dark red?" Yueh half-asked. 

"And I'd like a dark blue, if you have it," Arashi stated, turning back once more to the female Ronso. 

Jinka nodded slowly once again, and reached over at a particularly slow speed to her bulging backpack. Yueh, had she not been frozen by both the snow and her terror, would have preferred to just go up there herself and grab the stupid cloaks out. 

"Jinka have colors. Pay first. Five thousand gil for three." 

Yueh's fear was temporarily forgotten in lieu of the mention of price. "Five thousa--" 

"We'll take them," the summoner spoke over her. Yueh stepped back yet again when the male Ronso from before let out a low growl. What a grouch, she thought. 

Jinka took their money and gave Arashi the cloaks. Arashi tossed them to their new respective owners, who had to take off their backpacks before putting on the cloak. Yueh threw the cloak on herself and was completely shrouded in darkness for a moment. The cloak had obviously been meant for a Ronso rather than a human, and Yueh was shorter than even the average human was. She pulled the covering down even farther so she could she. 

She had a hard time not giggling. Her hands were completely covered over by at least 7 inches of the dark fabric, and the hem at the bottom was quite quickly getting soaked through with the snow. She did have to admit, however, that it was quite a well-made cloak. Yueh no longer had the feeling that she was stuck inside a freezer. Instead, she was perfectly warm and sheltered from the wind. 

There was still, however, the matter that she had trouble seeing out of the gaping hood, as well as even being able to use her hands in any normal manner. Yueh looked to Niet for help, but saw that both she and Arashi were having the same problems she herself was having. Although, it seemed Arashi had it better than the other two: she was at least 5 inches taller, and her cloak seemed to have been made for a teenage Ronso rather than a full-grown Ronso. 

All three girls looked back at Jinka who, to everyone's surprise, let out a low chuckle. 

"Cloak will resize. Mage helped Jinka make them. Trust Jinka. Wait." She smiled, all her pointy teeth gleaming somewhat kindly. Still, Yueh wasn't completely reassured, and figured she would have felt better had Jinka not smiled. "Watch." 

Yueh looked down to see the cloak slowly shrink to her height. The hem stopped so it just barely grazed the ground, and the sleeves quit shrinking as soon as the ends barely covered her fingertips. Niet's had done much the same, and Arashi's had been fine to begin with. 

"Jinka told you. Now, go talk to head Ronso. He welcome you." She nodded firmly before going back into a sort of stupor seated on the rock. 

Yueh scooted up to Arashi and hid behind her form. Arashi's body half blocked the remaining wind that blew Yueh's bangs around. Niet hid behind both of them, most likely in the same hope. 

"So now we have to find the head Ronso," Niet muttered. 

"He's probably just up ahead," Yueh told her. She pulled up her hood in an effort to block more of the wind. As they were walking into it, it was no use: the gusts simply blew the hood back onto her shoulders. She cursed under her breath as they approached yet another Ronso. 

"Lady Arashi." He bowed. "Nice to finally meet you. I hope your pilgrimage so far has been…well?" 

Arashi smiled despite the wind. "Quite." Yueh knew Arashi was lying through her teeth. "It has been rather uneventful, as much as they can be, I suppose." Yueh thought she could hear Arashi's teeth grind together, but the Ronso didn't seem to notice. 

"Wonderful. I hope your journey up through Mount Gagazet goes just as well. May Yevon be with you." Another bow, and he stepped back. He swept his arm towards the high rising mountain, and smiled. "I hope you complete your journey." 

"Thank you," all three girls said in unison. Arashi led the way up the trail, with Yueh, then Niet, following. 

Yueh shook her head wildly. "Those guys were scary." 

"No kidding!" Niet said. She pulled up her hood and held it up with her hands. "I got worse shivers looking at them than from the cold." 

"They weren't that scary," Arashi put in. She shrugged. "They kinda remind me of my cats I used to have back home. Chance, especially. He was this big cat, all white with black spots that made him look like a cow…" She trailed off, her voice fading into the wind. 

"Are you okay, Arashi?" Niet asked suddenly. "Is it because…because we're so close?" 

Arashi shook her head. "No. Its…nothing." She kept her eyes straight forward. "Nothing. I just miss them, that's all." 

Niet patted Arashi on the shoulder. "We'll see them again soon, I know it. We'll beat Sin without calling the final Aeon, and totally kick its butt back to the Otherworld!" She pumped a fist in the air, her robe's sleeve falling all the way up to her shoulder. 

"I think you're Rikku in this universe, or something," Yueh said, laughing. The three walked side-by-side up the mountain. Yueh was still nervous inside, but she trusted Arashi. Everything would work out… 

Right?

*-*-*-*-*

Genki was certain that Mariana had taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way. Mount Gagazet was snowy and cold. This place was most certainly neither. In fact, this place was downright scalding with sand as far as the eye could see. 

He had woken up staring at the ceiling of a cloth tent, and quickly realized that he was in the Sanubian desert. Genki scrambled to his feet and ran outside of the tent, looking around everywhere for his wife. 

He didn't have to look very far at all, for she was sitting on the small beachside, her toes grazing the water lightly, and her eyes staring out at the horizon. He ran up next to her and kneeled down in the wet sand beside her. 

"Mariana? I think we took a wrong turn somewhere. Weren't we supposed to go to Mount Gagazet?" Genki waved a hand in front of Mariana's unresponsive face. "Mariana? Love?" 

"We took the right turn." Mariana's face remained forward, towards the open sea. Her eyes seemed focused on something Genki couldn't see in the distance. "Those girls…none of them are strong enough. They will fail to beat Sin. I've seen it before…" 

"Summoners who rely on luck and blessings from others. But when it comes down to the time to receive the final aeon and bring the Calm…they fail. My parents always told me about those kind of summoners. We never talked to those types. Only one of them ever really succeeded." 

Genki swallowed. "Who was that?" 

Mariana's eyes narrowed, and she whispered quietly. "Braska." She finally moved, slamming a tight fist into the sand and water. "That idiot Braska. Killing Sin for vengeance for his wife…it was just a waste. You have to do it for yourself. That's the only way…the only way." 

Genki tried to speak, but stumbled over his words so much that he just gave up when Mariana stood and brushed off the sand. She left her shoes off, to his surprise, and simply kept them in her left hand as she walked into the desert. He blinked his chocolate brown eyes and jogged up next to her. He opened his mouth to speak, but was dumbfounded by the odd look Mariana had on her face. 

She was smiling, the corners of her mouth just barely upturned, but still, it was a smile. 

Genki gave one of his usual sighs and kept quiet. He knew well enough by know…she'd explain more when she was good and ready. 

_…which is usually a long time from when I'm good and ready to know…_ He heaved another sigh and adjusted the bag on his back, ready for yet another long walk of silence. 


	35. The End

**Well, its been a great ride, everyone. Hope you enjoy this last chapter, and please, _please_, read the author's notes at the end. They're uber-important. Thanks to all who helped me along the way...and you guys are gonna have a hoot with this chapter. Please review, if you feel so inclined!**

The trio of girls had a rather uneventful time through the snowy hike of Mt. Gagazet, much to Yueh's surprise at the least. Even the caves were easier to deal with than all had previously thought.

_Good enough for me,_ Yueh thought sardonically. _I'm getting tired of adventure._ She looked at her companions trudging ahead of her, and sighed as she saw the worried look on Arashi's face. _Then again, I suppose we could use more time to figure out how to defeat Sin without…without…_

"Hey, look! Light!" Arashi shouted, pointing to, of course, a large shot of light coming from the end of the caves.

"Thank goodness," Niet muttered. She brushed a hand through her hair and stretched out her shoulders, making a mass of clicking noises as her joints cracked. "I'm getting sick of all this darkness…"

"Same here," Yueh said. She cracked her neck and jogged ahead of the group. "Towards the light!"

"And usually that's a bad thing," Arashi commented, giggling despite the look on her face. "Ikimashou…ne?" She walked slowly after Yueh, and Niet trailed behind her.

On the other side of the cavern's exit were the stone statues of the other Fayth, still in their odd positions of what one assumed to be sleep. The three looked over them quietly and solemnly before Arashi finally broke the silence.

"Well, at least there's no sanctuary keeper, right?" She gave another nervous laugh, a hand behind her head. "Let's just…head up the hill and take a break at the Zanarkand Ruins."

There was a pause. "Just like Blondie and the gang," Niet commented. "Right?"

Yueh noticed Arashi's gray eyes flinch at those words. She turned away from Niet and Yueh and nodded. "Yeah. Exactly." She went on, and Niet and Yueh exchanged a quick glance before following her up the way

"I have the tents," Niet said, trying to spark up conversation.

"Are you sure that's a good thing?" Yueh retorted. Niet stopped in her tracks and gave Yueh a rather nasty look. She then proceeded to run and tried to tackle Yueh into the ground. She only managed to hit Yueh on the shoulder, but they both hit the rocky terrain with a loud thud. The two looked at Arashi, expecting some reprimand or, at least, a glance of indifference.

Arashi was still walking farther into the landscape, searching for a good spot to sit. If Yueh and Niet had been characters in an anime, the two would have fallen face-first onto the ground again.

"She's really out of it," Niet said, standing up and dusting off her cloak.

Yueh remained seated on the ground, staring after the summoner in her sweeping blue cloak. "I think it's more than that…" She looked up at a confused Niet and shrugged. Standing, she said, "Let's help Arashi find a spot, huh?" Niet nodded and the two of them ran up next to their summoner, pointing out different spots where they could rest.

_It's definitely more than that…you're just as worried as I am, aren't you, Arashi? About--about…_

*-*-*-*-*

It had been at least a day. The sky was in a sort of twilight state, as it wasn't completely dark, but stars were already shining overhead. The sand was…well, sandy, and quite honestly, he was absolutely sick of it.

Genki was seated on the sand, trying to shift into a position that didn't allow sand to seep into his shorts or tank top. As much as he hated to admit it, the whiny young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode Two was right: sand did get everywhere. And it was becoming a large nuisance.

Mariana strode out of their "tent," which was one of the stands the Al Bhed had set up for lost travelers. She was smiling still, that odd little smile of hers, and she stretched her arms out above her head towards the stars. With a small, happy sigh, she pulled a blanket out from the tent (meant for protection from the cold desert nights) and set it on the ground next to Genki, as if she were a beach-goer in California or Florida. Genki watched, almost amused, as she lay down on the blanket and stretched out again, staring up at the sky. He looked up, hoping to see something that she was seeing.

There was a long moment of silence, which was only broken by quiet breaths and the wind around the two. Genki got up the nerve to speak.

"Mariana, about what you were saying earlier--about Braska," he began, "what did you mean, exactly?"

Mariana's face scrunched into an unpleasant sight. "What else is there to say, Genki? He was an idiot. He relied on luck and other people to get where he did, and when he did bring the Calm…" Genki's ears picked up a small grumbling and cursing before her voice returned to normal. "It wasn't meant to be. It was just…luck."

Another silence. "But they succeeded, because of the Fayth's blessings, not because--"

"It was pure and simple luck! Braska was a weakling who relied on others! He had no reason--no right--!" She stopped her screaming short and jumped to her feet. She pointed a green-painted fingernail at Genki, her face bright red. "No right! It was luck! LUCK!" She stomped, barefoot, into the tent and all was silent once again.

Genki shifted again, and flung some sand and pebbles from his tank top again.

He really hated sand.

*-*-*-*-*

Yueh woke up the next morning to the small lights of pyreflies in the area around them. All three girls had slept outside during the night, because of the pleasant surroundings and the calmness of the place. _If anything,_ Yueh thought, _this should be called the Calm Lands._ She stretched slowly before standing up and staring at the endless sky. _If only it weren't so close to…to the end…_

Yueh sighed, and her brown eyes now looking towards the ground beneath her feet and blankets. She had accepted it, now, that all this would end soon. At least, it would for two of them. As for which two, Yueh had that decided as well. _And the second will become Sin in the endless spiral, and maybe they can find something…kinda like Auron, I guess._ She shrugged mentally, and let out another small sigh. _Zanarkand…the end and the beginning…_

Yueh's sandals made little sound as she made her way around the camp and up onto a small cliff that raised about six feet above the ground where her friends slept. Surveying the ground, she gave a short, sorrowful laugh as she looked upon her mog doll, Niet's rapier, and Arashi's jeweled belt sitting in a small pile on the dirt. _Just like Blondie and the gang,_ Yueh thought to herself, remembering what Niet had coined the day before. _And yet…_

Here I stand, just outside the place where two of us, Arashi for sure, will die in a useless cycle. One that we should have been able to fix, with our ultimate knowledge. So only one of us goes on, trying to find a solution as vengeance to the other two who have died, or almost died. And that…that would be a living Hell.

The rocks crunched beneath her feet as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but maybe…maybe whoever's left…maybe they'll think of something we didn't, and then…then… 

Our story, our legend would continue. 

One of the two girls below, Yueh didn't know which, began to stir, moving the pebbles beneath the sleeping bag. She sighed and hopped gracefully off of the small outcropping, landing like a cat on the ground next to Niet. As Niet was still wrapped up tight in her blanket, Yueh figured Arashi must've been the one waking up (by herself, for once). She turned to the summoner, and saw her sitting up, cracking her neck and rubbing her eyes. Somehow, her hair had remained in near perfect condition, without a hint of bedhead to be seen. Arashi stood up, adjusted her skirt slightly, and went to grab her belt. Without turning, the blond said, "Yueh, wake up Niet and begin packing. We're going to see Yunalesca today…" She trailed off and placed the belt back through its loops. 

"Right," Yueh said. She kicked Niet lightly. "Wake up. Time to go." Niet mumbled something and Yueh kicked the girl once more. "Up. Now." 

Niet sat up slowly and glared at Yueh. "I'm tired…" 

"We leave," Yueh said, sounding overly like Auron. "Now." 

Groaning, Niet stood up and began packing her sleeping bag to carry along. Yueh let out a breath and did the same with hers. In a few short minutes, the three were ready to leave and meet Yunalesca. 

As they walked down the almost endless road, Arashi could be heard humming to herself a song that Yueh didn't recognize. Yueh almost asked her what the song was, but restrained herself, figuring that perhaps, silence was the best thing before the final confrontation. 

The three continued on the way until they stumbled upon a ghostly figure. It was some random summoner, who stated quietly, "I will accept the final aeon…no matter what anyone says. I will…" The figure dissipated into the nothingness from which it came. 

Niet shuddered despite her cloak. "Creepy…" 

The trio went on until Arashi tripped and fell on a small broken piece of a column. When Yueh went to pick her friend up, another figure appeared. This one Yueh didn't recognize, but by the look on Arashi's face, it was obvious that she did. 

The new ghost was of a woman in her late thirties, with medium length, layered brown hair and glasses. The woman smiled kindly. "Sar-bear, would you take out the garbage for me?" 

"Mom…" Arashi's eyes were filling with tears. "I…" 

"Arashi, I'm sure its just pyreflies reacting to…" Niet was cut short by another figure, another woman. This one didn't say anything other than a reprimanding sounding, "Kathy…" 

Niet blanched. "MOM!??!" Niet looked at Arashi as the ghost disappeared. "Arashi, what's--what's happening?" 

Arashi gulped, and tears streamed freely down her face. "I didn't…want to tell you…" 

"The world is shrinking, since Sin came along. Wisconsin, and most of anything past California and those states…they're gone." Niet began to interrupt, but Arashi held up a hand. "Even looking at the map…our world is shrinking to the size of the original Spira. People are slowly forgetting that it was once a game…because it's now our reality." 

"But how do you know!?" Niet shouted out. Yueh was in too much shock to say anything. Did this mean that her family was gone, too? Or were they safe, since they were in California? 

"I know, because…" Arashi's voice choked, and she leaned her face near the ground. Her voice was slightly muffled now, bouncing off the stone and into her face before barely reaching the other two. "In the Farplane, I saw all our families. Whenever I thought of them, whenever I saw them in my mind…there they were in front of me." She looked back up. The tears continued in waves. "Every single one of them…I…" She shook her head, and salty drops fell everywhere. "I have to do this now. To kill Sin, even for a moment…maybe, we can bring them back…" 

She stood, stomping forward. "We move on, I have to do this, whether or not I die." 

"Arashi, but--" 

"We move on." The trio went on, all three feeling the sorrow and pain of this news. 

Yueh was breaking up inside. Her family was gone…and she had caused it. What more did she have to live for? What else was there? She had failed all of her mission, if she couldn't bring them back… 

The three reached the chamber where Yunalesca had met the group in the game. They all stood there for a short time, silent, before the doors opened and Yunalesca, in all her barely-clothed glory, came out. 

"You have come to gain the final Aeon…am I right?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Arashi nodded, and Yueh got a sinking feeling in her stomach. This was it. 

"Then choose your guardian that will be the other sacrifice, and enter my chambers when you are ready." With that, she turned on her heels and left. 

Arashi looked at her guardians and sighed. "Both of you, come with me…" 

Niet and Yueh were both confused. "What?" 

"Just follow…" Arashi climbed up the steps slowly and, while bewildered, the other two followed. Through the door, and into the familiar area where, once, in a different universe, Yunalesca had been killed again… 

Yueh took in a deep breath as Yunalesca approached. She had a confused look on her face. "I said choose one, Lady Arashi. Did you not understand?" 

"I did," Arashi said quietly, "but I have to say this." She turned to Niet and gave a small bow. "Niet, I choose Yueh, and…you have to go on. Find another group and carry on. Come back here and do what we could not." 

"But--!" Niet began to protest profusely, but Arashi just smiled and cast a sleep spell on the girl. Niet's brown eyes closed slowly and she fell gently to the ground in a small heap. Arashi's sad blue-gray eyes turned to Yueh, filling with tears once more. "Yueh…I figured you'd want to do this. Are you ready?" 

Yueh's heart screamed otherwise, but she quietly said, "Yes." She stepped forward past Niet and bowed as well. "I'm ready." 

"We…are ready, Lady Yunalesca." Arashi nodded once. 

Yunalesca smiled. "Then let's begin. Close your eyes, and pray…" 

Yueh did so, and felt herself being lifted up. Her world began to fade, and she heard yelling and screaming behind her. Some sort of commotion… 

Her thoughts began to dim. Was that a man she heard behind her? Maybe the former Sin? She felt dizzy. 

Another scream, this one female. A pain on her forehead, a surge throughout her body. 

Total darkness. 

---------

**So, that's the end. Two of your main characters are dead, and the third, Niet, is left to go on, and find a new summoner in the second part of--

Chya, right, like I'd kill off someone, especially my own characters? You have GOT to be kidding me. This is in no way the last chapter, people. If you've learned anything about me thus far, there are two things you should know:

1. I don't kill off people. I don't like depressing stories or depressing endings! The real world's depressing enough. 

2. I love, and I mean absolutely LOVE, messing with you guys. The reactions are so funny... ^_^ V

So! Join me here, same time next week, for a new chapter starting the second arc of Across Worlds! I promise not to drag it on so much like I did the first arc... Ja ne!

--Ari =D (evil grin)**


	36. A Whole New Group

**Bad authoress, bad! BAD! Y'see, peoples, my family's been working on MOVING, and school absolutely sucks...so I am sooooo sorry about the lack of a new chapter until now! Writer's block is slightly to blame...gomen nasai. So, finally, the start of the second arc! Yay! The updates will be more frequent from now on (except for finals week which is in two weeks O_O). I promise, lol. Pleeeeeeease stick with me...I feel like such a bad authoress...gomen nasai, and enjoy!**

The blackness was still there when Yueh felt something coming back to her senses. She heard mumbling between three distinct voices. What were these voices? Sins of the past? 

She felt achy all over. So this was what it was like to be Sin…achy, and darkness surrounding your every side. But…her body still felt the same. Did you exist as yourself inside Sin, never changing from your past self until the next Sin came along? 

The voices became clearer now. "Are any of the others up yet?" 

Another voice, this one a bit deeper. "Not yet. The summoner is still in a deep sleep, but the other one might wake up soon." 

The first voice sighed. "I hope I didn't hurt her when I fell…" 

The other voice choked. "Dude, you got hit by one nasty chick and have scars all along your arm to show for it. And you're worried about falling down?" 

_What's going on? Aren't I…Sin?_

Light began to return to Yueh's eyes. Her eyelids fluttered, and she could barely make out a scruffy-haired blond with wire frame glasses kneeling over her. There was a bandage on his left upper arm, and that same shoulder of his shirt was torn up and a slight bit bloodied. 

"Hey, I didn't turn into an Auron, now, did I?" He took a quick look back at Yueh and did a double take. "Hey, she's waking up!" 

"I'll go get Hunter," the other, still unassociated voice said. The first young helped Yueh to sit up straight. He put a hand on her shoulder. 

"You okay? Yueh, right?" Yueh nodded vaguely, still afraid to move much more for the achiness that she was currently feeling all over. She took a moment to take the new figure in. 

He wore mainly tan and light brown garments, with what looked like a karate gi as the main part of it. A dark brown sash wrapped over his shoulder and around his waist as a belt, connected off to the left side with a charm that was similar color to Arashi's crescent moon and in the shape of the planet of Saturn. A small shield was tied onto his right shoulder, and his left was bandaged and bloodied. He also had dark brown knee-high boots, the left with a small dagger attached to the side. 

"I'm Gage," he introduced. His voice was somehow strong and gentle at the same time. It was powerful, but not in a threatening way. "The other guy who was just here is Mattian, and the guy he's getting is Hunter. But you probably heard that much." 

Yueh nodded again. Hunter…why did that name sound familiar? She put her hand to her head and felt a bandage wrapped around it. Gage chuckled nervously. 

"Ah, Mattian had to carry you out but not before Yunalesca had her say in the matter. She nicked you with a piece of stone instead of him, and you started bleeding," Gage explained. "Mattian bandaged you up as well as he could, but he had a harder time with me." 

Yueh was about to ask why when two young men walked up next to Gage. 

The first was quite tall, and had dark brown hair. It was fairly long, and tied back with a piece of leather into a ponytail. Small wisps had escaped it and hung just about his face. Two leather belts crossed over his chest and tank top, meeting and attaching to one another at a square of darker leather with a small, dark green charm that looked like a comet attached to it. He had a belt that was rather similar to Auron's, with a large wrap-around and a belt holding it onto him. His pants were a bright red, with large black side seams. They hung out of his knee-high boots, which were a dark brown with pitch-black seams at an odd angle wrapped around both. The same odd, almost Y pattern was also on his upper left arm. On his right arm was a bracer with the same pattern. 

The second young man was someone Yueh instantly recognized. He was the blitzer in the dome who had stared at her right before the attack on the stadium. His hair was a lighter brown, but still long and shaggy. He almost had a mullet, to be perfectly honest. He wore nothing on his chest, and had shorts that went just past his knees. A sash of sorts wrapped around his waist like a belt, with a small, sun-shaped charm tying the cloth together. His tan shorts had red markings on them, two lines with V-shapes in-between them. He had ties all along his upper left arm and a thick leather bracelet on his right wrist. He wore a scruffy dark blue bandanna around his forehead, and had sandals on his feet. Yueh had a hard time looking at him. 

"'Bout time you got up," Mattian commented. He held a large sword over his shoulder, definitely giving off the aura of the master guardian Auron himself. "We were beginning to think you never would." 

"He's more compassionate than he sounds," Gage reassured. "We thought the hit to your head had caused more damage, but now that you're awake…" 

"No white magic?" Yueh asked vaguely. Gage shook his head. 

"Other than Haste, I'm afraid not. We've been trying to convince Hunter to learn some, but he doesn't want to, I guess," Gage said, shrugging. "Anyway, now that you're awake, Hunter can stay with you while we try to wake your companions." Gage gestured to Mattian, and the two headed off in the opposite direction. 

For the first time, Yueh took in her surroundings. There was a white ceiling, so she couldn't be outside, unless the sky had become incredibly cloudy and had rivets in it. And the sun had turned into separate light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. She shifted a leg to a more comfortable position, and bounced up and down a bit. _So I'm on a bed…I've gotta be on the airship, if there's lights…_ She rubbed her head lightly and looked at Hunter. Trying to start a conversation, she asked, "So, I'm in the airship, huh?" Hunter merely nodded, his long brown hair bobbing up and down. Yueh coughed, clearing her throat, and looked down at the bed. 

"Uh, so…how'd you guys find us?" Yueh asked quietly. Hunter shrugged, and Yueh cocked her head to one side. "Don't you talk?" 

Gage heard this from across the room and retorted, "He does, but since the attack on the Blitz stadium in Luca, he's had a, uh…" Gage chuckled, and Hunter shot him a look that would freeze most people in their tracks. "…a slight accent. C'mon, Hunter, I'm sure Yueh wouldn't mind hearing you talk…" He chuckled again before turning back to another figure on the bed, trying to wake them up by tapping them on the shoulder. Judging from the snoring Yueh heard, that person had to be Arashi. 

Yueh turned her eyes back to Hunter. "An accent? What does he mean?" 

Hunter's face turned a deep shade of crimson, and, his hands balled into fists at his sides, he said through clenched teeth, "He means I sound like Wakka, ya?" Yueh choked back laughter, out of some sort of pity for the young man--he had Wakka's accent, all right, every little nuance of it down to the 'ya' at the end of sentences. He, of course, noticed, and went into a small rant. "I didn't ask for 'dis, ya? After the attack…it just happened, ya?" He turned around and stomped a foot on the metal floor. "Stupid! I didn't want 'dis!" 

"Calm down, Hunter, its not that bad," Mattian said from further across the room. _This is a huge room…where are we, the biggest suite on the ship?_ He was, presumably, trying to wake up Niet. He had bandages in his hands as well, so Niet must have gotten a bi scratched, too, Yueh figured. Gage continued his chuckling nearby, making Hunter more infuriated. 

"Quit laughing, brudda! If you'd've ended up wit an accent like Tidus, you wouldn't be laughin' now, ya?" Hunter shouted out, waving an arm around wildly. Gage cringed at the thought and stopped laughing shortly thereafter. Hunter, beginning to calm down, turned back to Yueh and actually grinned at her. "That always gets him to shuddup, ya?" This time, Yueh laughed with him. 

"I wouldn't want a voice like Tidus, either," Yueh concurred, giggling. Hunter finally sat down on the bed next to her, and Yueh resumed her questions. "Seriously, though, how did you guys find us?" 

Hunter's face contorted slightly, and he shrugged again. "I dunno, really. Gage said he knew where you guys were, ya? So, there we went, and there you were," he said. He lowered his voice, which was, thankfully, covered by Arashi's ever increasingly loud snoring. "I tink he's keepin' somethin' from the rest of us, ya? He always had 'dis look on his face, like he knew somethin' more'n the rest of us." 

Yueh's eyes blinked rapidly. It sounded like…like… 

"Arashi was always kind of the same way," Yueh murmured. "She always…was one step ahead of us." 

Hunter nodded, and said solemnly, "It's a conspiracy, ya?" Yueh choked back yet another laugh. The seriousness with which he had said that combined with his whacked-out island accent was just too much. Hunter simply rolled his eyes and stood up. 

"I'm…sorry," Yueh said between giggles. "Its just…" 

"Ya, ya, I know," Hunter said, waving a hand helplessly. "Gage and Mattian do the same thing t'me, ya?" He sighed. "And I was fine with all 'dis Sin stuff 'til I got 'dis stupid accent…" 

Yueh was about to say something when Gage shouted out, "Yo, guys, she's getting up!" Yueh peeked around Hunter's form to see Arashi sitting upright on the bed, with a wrap of gauze and bandage around her right wrist. Arashi's golden blond hair was surprisingly not messed up, but her glasses were, as usual, lopsided on her face, and her goggles sat around her neck. She had her head leaned to one side and was taking in the situation. 

She paused before looking at Gage, Hunter, and Mattian in turn. She gave a small grin and a wave. "Hi." 

The boys all blinked slowly, and Yueh laughed again, falling back onto her bed. Hunter turned around and looked at her, a questioning look on his face. 

"She's fine," Yueh said finally. She saw Arashi stretch, crack the kinks out of her neck, and shake Gage's hand. 

"I presume you know who I am…and you are?" she asked politely. 

Gage blinked. "Uh…I'm Gage, he's Hunter, and he's Mattian…" 

"Ah! So, Hunter and…" She turned around and saw Mattian, which was when she jumped up a little on her bed and squeaked happily. "Mattian? Matt, you're kidding me--you're in on this crazy thing, too?" 

Mattian laughed. "So you recognize me, eh?" 

"Duh. Glad you guys came to rescue us." Arashi stretched again, cracking noises emanating from her back and neck. "I really thought that was it…that we really would have to defeat Sin that way…" 

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Gage said suddenly. For Y--" 

Arashi's hand suddenly covered Gage's mouth. He stopped, his eyes wide. 

"Not yet, Gage. Trust me." 

Hunter and Yueh looked at each other knowingly. _It really is a conspiracy…what do they know that they won't tell us?_

Arashi removed her hand from Gage's mouth and grinned suddenly. "We'll tell the rest of you later, when the time is right. For now, however…" She pretended to look at a watch on her hand, counting seconds. "We should get some food ready, because Niet's going to wake up in five…four…three…two…one…" 

Niet sat up straight in her bed across the way and looked around. She sniffed lightly. "Where's the food?" 

Mattian fell off the bed in surprise, and Hunter raised an eyebrow. Gage looked to Arashi, who was still smiling widely. 

"Well? Where is it?" Arashi asked, sliding off her bed. 

Yueh simply shook her head. Same old Arashi…but a whole new chapter in their adventure had begun. 

She was sure of it. 


	37. Map Search

**Told ya I'd update more! Guess what? Half of this chapter was typed at my neeeeeew house! We're moved in, and things are still kinda odd (the shower sucks right now, rotfl), but its awesome to be here. ^_^ Here's the new chapter, though its mainly "set up"--no big action-y stuff happens...but you'd better read! Its the most evil of all writing techniques--FORESHADOWING!!!!!! BUWAHAH--ha--ha...eheh. Also, sorry for the delay (oi). I've had horrid writer's block lately. But, after talking to Saito, I got some more inspiration. Enjoy!**

The new group of six (as Yueh supposed it was now one large group of adventurers rather than two small ones at this point) was seated at a particularly large round table. They were being waited on rather well by Al Bhed, most of whom didn't speak the common language. As it turned out, Niet knew Al Bhed after having read a chapter in her book from a few nights before. Being the only one who knew it had its advantages. 

"I think she's telling them she's the leader of the group," Yueh whined in a low voice to Arashi, who simply shrugged. Niet was getting about twice the food the other five were getting, and more attention was paid to her glasses of milk, water, and some odd bubbly brown liquid that Yueh assumed was soda. She also chatted constantly with the "waiters" and "waitresses," laughing at jokes the others couldn't understand. 

"It's annoying," Mattian said about this. He glared at the uber-genki girl with some sort of disdain. Gage shook his head and shrugged, much like Arashi normally would about some of Niet's food related antics. 

"To each their own," he simply said before interrupting a waiter in the middle of what must have been some amusing anecdote to get his glass of milk refilled. The waiter said "cunno" to Niet and continued the story as he filled up Gage's glass. For this, Gage received an awful glare from the waiter. 

"Okay…" 

"So!" Arashi said loudly, making everyone near and at the table jump, "I'd like to talk about our next move." The waiter gave Arashi one of the glares that Gage had just received, but he stayed quiet anyway. 

"Uh…yeah, right," Gage said, setting his fork down. 

There was a moment's silence before Mattian shouted, "Well, what is it?!" It was Niet's turn to give him an annoyed look. Yueh rolled her eyes. _Like Auron and Rikku, I swear…_

"I think we should go back to the beginning," Arashi said. Five pairs of eyes looked at her, each blinking quite slowly. 

"Meaning?" Gage finally asked. 

"Going to the first temple we visited," Arashi explained. Niet and Yueh kind of nodded, but Gage, Hunter, and Mattian looked even more complexed. 

"You mean Valefore's temple, ya?" Hunter said. 

Arashi shook her head and took a large bit of salad. She spoke through her food, "No, I mean d'one we…" She swallowed. "The one we got Tsuki from." 

"Tsuki--" Arashi and Gage's gazes locked for a moment, and Arashi nodded before turning her attention to her salad again. 

"I think the Fayth there will be of much help, personally," Arashi stated. She smiled to herself, a knowing grin. "Being able to talk to her friends might help." 

"Who, us?" Yueh presumed. 

"No," she said, laughing. She began moving her head from side to side happily while eating more salad. 

The other five waited until Arashi finished her bite of salad, hoping for more information. When she finally did… 

"Pass the dressing, please," she asked quietly. 

Everyone nearly fell over. 

*-*-*-*-* 

After lunch, all six went up to the cockpit of the ship, where Cid, still as brash as ever from the look of it, was eagerly awaiting them. He tried to keep his brave exterior, but Yueh could see that underneath, he was really worried about his daughter. 

"So, we finally meet," he said slowly, staring at Arashi, Yueh, and Niet in turn. He looked back at Arashi. "You're the leader of this little group, eh?" 

Arashi nodded. "Yes. I'm Arashi, that's Yueh, and the last is Niet." Niet and Yueh gave a cheerful wave, but Cid didn't seem to notice. His attention was on Arashi. 

"So, you know where my daughter Rikku is?" he asked gruffly. 

Arashi began to play with her belt, almost nervously. "In a manner of speaking, yes, we do." Yueh blanched. _We do?!? Since when?!_

Cid regarded Arashi with a slightly irritated look. "In a manner of speaking?" 

Arashi's fidgeting increased. "Yes. If you can take us to a certain temple on Yueh's map, we can find out for sure. 

Cid gave another look before crossing his arms. "Where's the map?" 

"Uh…" Arashi paused and looked at Yueh. "Where'd you put it?" 

_After nearly getting turned into Sin, I could really care less…_ Yueh sighed, running a hand through her long black bangs. "I think it's in my back pack--wherever that thing went to…" 

"Well, you'd better find it soon," Cid warned, "or else I'll toss all six of you out of my ship." 

"Waitaminute, ya?!" Hunter shouted out. "You can't just toss us outta the plane?!" 

"Yeah! Its not _our_ fault if they lost the map!" Mattian said. "Throw _them_ out instead!" Yueh--and the other four in the group--gave him a look. He gestured wildly. "What?!?" 

"Throw him out," Niet muttered. The two shot daggers at each other before Arashi smiled apologetically at Cid. 

"We'll find the map, rest assured, Cid," she said, patting the man on the shoulder. He simply stared at her in disbelief. 

"You'd better," was all he said, and then he turned back to his co-pilots, grumbling in Al Bhed. Niet gasped a little bit, and Yueh gave a small snort of a laugh. _Apparently, Cid is as gruff in Al Bhed speech as he was in English…or Spiran…or whatever you call it here…_

"C'mon, Yueh," Arashi said, pulling Yueh towards the doorway. The other four followed her closely. As soon as they were out of the room, Arashi turned to the boys in the group. "Where'd you guys put our stuff when you got us?" 

Hunter and Mattian looked at Gage, who looked thoughtful for a moment. 

"We just threw them on the ship. Some of the Al Bhed took them aboard when we ran to save you guys," Gage said slowly. 

Niet sighed. "So now we have to find our stuff? And all we know is its in the ship?" she asked, annoyed. Gage nodded. 

"So, as I've always wanted to say, let's split up, gang!" Gage said, holding a hand up in the air. The group groaned, except for Arashi, who giggled. 

"Scooby-dooby doo!" she said, laughing. The rest (except Gage, of course) groaned again before splitting up into three groups: Arashi and Gage, Yueh and Hunter, and, as they were the only two left, Mattian and Niet. 

"Okay, we'll get the first floor, Hunter, Yueh, you guys get the second floor with the room, and Mattian and Niet--" 

The last two persons were standing back to back, neither one speaking to the other. Gage smacked his forehead. 

"And you two can be stubborn and obstinate and just stand there, accomplishing nothing," he finally finished, shaking his head and walking off with Arashi to search the first floor. 

Hunter and Yueh left Mattian and Niet standing next to each other to find the stairs to the second floor. Neither one talked until they had been walking around looking for about ten minutes without anything being accomplished. 

Yueh put her hands on her hips. "Well…any idea where the stairs are?" 

Hunter laughed. "I thought you knew!" 

"Uh…no," she said, sighing. "If we don't find it soon…Cid really will toss us out of the airship." 

"I tink dat's just somethin' to get us findin' it faster, ya?" Hunter said, shrugging. He scratched the back of his head. "I don't tink he's really _dat_ mean." 

"I told you we shouldn't have gotten on the airship! There's no good clientele here! They already all have machina!" 

Yueh winced nervously. "I think I recognize that voice." 

Hunter nodded. "I met her yesterday. And by the sound of it…" 

"I didn' ge' on th' ship to sell, Nikko! I got on th' ship to escape th' Yevonites!" 

"…O'aka is along with her," Yueh finished. "This is not good." She tugged on Hunter's armband. "Let's leave before they—" 

"Fine, fine, let's just ask Hunter, then!" Nikko shouted out. 

Yueh smacked herself on the forehead and looked at the ground. "Before they come over here…" 

"Ah, Yueh! Nice t'see ye again! Y'see, me sister an' I are havin' an argument," O'aka stated. 

"Ya, we heard," Hunter said sarcastically. Neither O'aka or Nikko picked up on his tone. 

"It wasn't an argument, it was a statement of fact! I thought you were going on the ship to sell your stuff to people on board!" Nikko yelled at her brother. Her face was red all over. "But they're all refugees, they can't afford anything!" 

"I never, ever said tha' we were gon'a sell an'thing!" O'aka yelled back. His face was the same hue as Nikko's. 

"Well, we've gotta find a map, or Cid is going to throw us off the ship…" Yueh trailed off as Nikko and O'aka's screaming increased. 

"Yes, you did! You said we'd find some good customers here, and all that's here is a bunch of gil-less people!" Nikko retorted. _What a concern she has for her fellow Al Bhed_, Yueh noted with a small, sardonic grin. 

"I ne'er said we'd fin' good cust'mers!" O'aka shouted. "I said we'd—" 

"Nice seeing you again!" Yueh said, waving and pulling Hunter away with her other arm. "Hope you guys get this all worked out!" 

The screaming duo didn't even notice them leave. 

"Ow," Hunter said, rubbing an ear. "'Dose two can really hurt your ears, ya?" 

"You didn't hear her scream when O'aka dismantled her machina. That was pure torture," Yueh said, letting go of his arm. She leaned against the wall only to find that there wasn't one there. She fell to the ground, landing on an angled surface. 

"Whaddya know? Ya found the stairs, ya?" Hunter said, laughing. 

"Yeah…" Yueh winced. "If you can really call that finding." Hunter, who was still chuckling, helped her up, but a bit too quickly. Yueh stumbled forward and landed with her face in Hunter's chest. Her face turned a bright red, and Hunter's did as well, but neither made a move to get away from the other. There was a moment of awkward silence. 

"Ah, we'd better find dat map, ya?" Hunter finally suggested. 

Yueh, flustered, leaned back suddenly and was three feet away from Hunter in a matter of milliseconds. "Right! Right, ah…find the…map." Neither of the two's eyes met as they went up the stairs silently. 

_That was…_ Yueh couldn't quite find the words to describe it—nor did she have more time to. For as soon as they reached the top of the stairs, she saw a familiar place. 

"Our room!" she exclaimed. She dashed in the large suite and began tearing through backpacks and knapsacks, looking for her own. 

As she did so, Hunter walked over beside her and picked up a rather small backpack by the arm strap. He held it up in front of the frantic Yueh. 

"Is 'dis it?" 

"Attention! You have five minutes left to find the map, Arashi. Five minutes, and I send people after you to toss you outta here!" the loudspeaker (no doubt Cid) blared. Hunter and Yueh looked at each other tersely. 

"Yeah, thank goodness." Yueh tore the bag from Hunter's grasp and checked the side pocket where the map was usually stored. With a triumphant "Ah-_hah_!" she pulled the map out and jumped up. 

"I take it dat's it, ya?" Hunter asked, amused. Yueh nodded happily, her black bangs bobbing up and down. 

"Now let's go find Cid before he throws us all over board." Yueh grabbed Hunter's arm once more and ran back down the stairs. She managed to find her way back to the cockpit much more easily than she had "found" the flight of stairs. 

Mattian and Niet were still not speaking to one another, back to back, as they had been left. Yueh shook her head. 

"That's sad..." She giggled despite herself, then remembered the reason she even came back. "We found the map!" Yueh announced. 

Niet moved from her statue-style stance and ran up to Yueh, jumping happily as Yueh had done. "You found it?! You found it!" 

Mattian just shook his head as if to say, "Women…" He took the map from Yueh's grasp and walked back into the main cockpit. 

"Hey! You can't just steal our map! You didn't even help look!" Niet ran after the "thief" angrily. 

"You didn't help look either," Yueh muttered, following. Hunter didn't say a word. 

Mattian was presenting the map to Cid as Niet hit Mattian to little effect. Cid took a glance at the map before asking a question that stumped everyone present. 

"Where are we going?" 

Silence, until the door opened once more to reveal Gage and Arashi. 

"To Tsukikage temple. The home of the fayth most dear to us all," Arashi said. 


	38. New Things Learned

**Well, this chapter took long enough, ne? Sorry, guys, I had some major writer's block, and still do, to some extent, so I don't know when the next chapter will be up. Should be quicker than this one took, though, ehehe...^_^;;; So! Here ya are, guys and gals! Whee! Please enjoy!**

Arashi waltzed up to the group and took the map from an astonished Cid. She began to look over it thoughtfully. She finally looked up at Yueh. 

"Yueh, you know I don't know how to read this thing. Help, please?" 

Cid growled a bit under his breath. Yueh simply shook her head and walked over to help the rather scatter-brained summoner. She glanced at the map and pointed out their current position with one hand. 

"We're here right now, facing southwest-ish," she said. Cid grumbled again. 

"I know where we are now, missy, I need to know where we have to go!" he shouted at the black mage. 

Yueh tried to ignore him and her shaking hands. She pointed with her other hand on the southern half of the map. "The…uh, Sukitage—" 

"Tsukikage," Arashi corrected lightly. 

"Right. The Tsukikage temple is right about here, in the middle of the forest. I think it'd be kind of hard to see from overhead," Yueh guessed. "So I think the best bet would be to drop us off at Besaid, and we can hike from there." 

"Since when was she a terrain expert?" Mattian asked. Yueh rolled her eyes and Niet took up her defense. 

"She's guided us along on this whole entire trip, you baka!" Niet stated, her hands on her hips. 

"I think Hunter could read the map better than her," Mattian said, pointing to the once-again quiet blitzer. 

"Hey, don't bring me into 'dis!" Hunter said, waving his arms. "I didn' say I was—" 

"Notice how even though we were behind you, we caught up to you?" Mattian asked. He stood proudly. "With Hunter, we never got lost once. We even found some shortcuts that you guys missed along the way!" 

Yueh watched Arashi, who was still looking at the map, lifted up an arm and threw it down in a small gesture. White sparks flew from her hand and hit Mattian right on the mouth. He jumped, and opened his mouth to yell at the blond. 

Nothing came out. Not even a noise. He simply stood there, flapping his jaw aimlessly, while Niet busted out laughing. 

"Never mess with a summoner who knows some black magic!" Niet said triumphantly. "Especially when she's my friend and fellow otaku—" 

Yueh had to hold back giggles as Arashi lifted up her arm once more and threw sparks at the chattering Niet. Her mouth did much the same as Mattian's—it opened and shut without a sound. Arashi looked placidly at Yueh. 

"You were saying?" 

Yueh stopped giggling and her demeanor became serious. "Oh! Right. The temple is in southwest of us, on the northern coast of Cali—er…this area right here." She dragged her finger up and down what used to be the northern coastline of California. "So, I think if you just—" 

"Drop you off at Besaid?" Cid said, crossing his arms. 

Yueh nodded shakily. "Uh, yeah." 

He regarded the rag-tag group quietly, his eyebrows furrowed. Yueh waited anxiously. 

"All right. But if you don't find my daughter, I'm comin' after ya personally," Cid promised. Yueh went to thank him, but he was already turned around and barking orders in Al Bhed to the co-pilots of the ship. 

"Well," Yueh said slowly, "that was easy…" 

Arashi nodded simply. "Quite." She gestured to her two mute companions and white sparks engulfed them. 

"And why did you do that—" 

"I would have shut up if you would've just—" 

Both persons stood, their mouths hanging wide open. The cockpit was silent for a moment in lieu of the sudden shouts. Mattian's face became a dark red, and Niet's brown eyes went wide. Arashi smiled kindly and walked out of the cockpit. 

"Come, let's get some rest. We'll need it, I have a feeling." 

"But we just got done sleeping!" Niet whined. "Why should we?" 

Arashi turned around and looked through the slowly closing cockpit door. "I said rest, not sleep. You can still stay awake, if you _want_. Pay attention to the details, Niet." The door closed in Arashi's face, and she could be heard walking off. 

Yueh shrugged and followed Arashi through the door. Soon, the others did the same. Somehow, Arashi knew precisely where their room was, even though she had only been there once. 

_Now I feel _really _stupid_, Yueh thought, kicking herself mentally. Hunter was also blushing lightly. Yueh grinned at him—at least they felt the same way. 

Once in the room, Arashi plopped down on the bed in the middle, her face to the ceiling. She left her arms at her sides, and quickly fell asleep. 

The boys all blinked quite slowly, while Niet and Yueh simply took it as a fact of life and went about trying to find something else to do. Yueh had had enough sleep and felt like jumping off of the walls, so she didn't want to rest at all. 

Lucky for her, neither did Hunter. He kicked up a blitzball into his grasp and twirled it on his finger. "Wanna try some blitzball?" 

"You don't, trust me," Gage said jokingly. He was getting comfortable in the large chair next to Arashi's bed, holding a book in his hands. "Hunter'll hit you in the head with the ball." 

"I will not, ya?" Hunter defended. He stood proudly, sticking out his chest a bit. "If the tournament woulda continued, my team woulda won the tournament, ya? Betcha I woulda gotten MVP, too." He nodded one, as if that would end the argument. 

"Would not have," Mattian grumbled. He sat on the far side of the room, as far away from Niet as one could possibly get. Niet had done the same, and sat in the exact opposite spot across the room, reading her book. 

"At least I woulda been high up 'dere, ya?" Hunter said. He shrugged and brushed a hand through his brown hair. "Anyway, ya wanna try it? We can go out into a bigger room, ya?" 

"Uh, sure," Yueh said, shrugging herself. Even if she didn't really like Blitzball, it was something to do to pass away the time. 

"Awright, dat's the spirit, ya?" Hunter said, grinning. He tossed Yueh the ball, and she caught it loosely. 

Her brown eyes stared down at the blue and white ball in her hands. 

_…At least it's something to do…_

*-*-*-*-* 

Mariana brushed her hair back from her face. She had let it down once she had gotten on the boat, standing on the crow's nest letting the wind blow through her hair. The water spray was gently washing the desert sands out of her long brown hair. 

It had been a long walk through the desert, but they had finally reached the next shoreline where a boat full of Al Bhed had been waiting to take people to one of the main islands—Luca. The Blitz tournament there had apparently and finally ended, although it had been a bit earlier than expected due to the deal with sinspawn attacking. No one team had been called the winner; the whole thing had been called a draw. All the teams were coming home, and the Al Bhed team was going to meet up with this particular boat once it reached Luca. 

The crew was a tad short, however, so as part of a traveling "fee," Genki was being forced to work. The hot sun was beating down on all the crew, so most of them had taken off their shirts. Most of them were still sweating regardless. 

Mariana smiled for the first time in the past few days. Genki looked absolutely gorgeous. He had muscle tone, more so than when they had first met, due to fighting off so many creatures for her. He had also gained a tan as they had trudged through the desert. 

She glanced down at the ring on her left-hand ring finger. What she and Genki had done, it was on such short notice…in such a short time…but it felt like it was meant to be. 

Mariana shook her head and closed her eyes tight. No, what was meant to be was her defeating and becoming the next Sin. That was meant to be, that was destiny. This was a mere sidetrack on the journey there. 

She opened one eye and saw Genki wipe beads of sweat from his forehead. _But, it's a wonderful sidetrack…_

"Mari!" Genki was waving up to her from the lower deck. She waved back. Mari was a new nickname for her that he had adopted through the stroll through the desert. "Hang on tight, Mari! We're about to—" 

The boat took a lurch forward as it was shoved off the docks. Mariana held on to the railing with a death grip, her nails digging into the old lumber. Her eyes went wide as she saw Genki fall against the lower deck's railing and smack his head. 

"Genki!" Mariana shouted. Her heart filled up with anger and sadness. Genki was just lying still on the second deck. "Genki!" Her face furrowed and she jumped down to the lower deck, landing as gracefully as a cat. She ran to her husband and gently took him up into her arms. 

"Genki, love, are you okay?" she whispered. His eyes remained closed as a crowd drew near. "Genki?" Tears fell from her eyes onto Genki's still face. "Gen…ki…" She closed her eyes and hovered one of her hands over his blank face. "Please…be okay…" White sparks fell from her hands and onto his face. 

The whole crowd was still. Mariana opened her eyes slowly. 

"Please, Genki. Please wake up." 

Genki's eyes fluttered. He looked up at his summoner. 

"Mari? Why are you crying?" Genki asked, lifting a hand up to her face. 

Mariana smiled, and placed her hand on his. "I have no reason to, now." 

_This…maybe it was meant to be…maybe…_ She held Genki close to her. _Maybe there is something I can do…something to help everyone…_

The boat sailed on to Luca. 

*-*-*-*-* 

"Now, get it on your head—" 

"Like this?" Yueh kneed the blitzball and bounced it on her head lightly. 

"No, higher, hit it higher, like 'dis, ya?" Hunter took the ball and began hitting it on his head about five feet in the air. Yueh's eyes widened, and Hunter laughed, letting the ball hit the ground. "A bit too hard, ya?" 

Yueh giggled. "Just a little…but I'm still better than I was." _A good way to pass the time._ Yueh kicked up the ball and it landed in her outstretched arms. "Now that you've taught me something, I think its time for me to teach you something." She tossed the ball back to Hunter, who looked very confused. 

"Teach me somethin'? Teach me what?" Hunter scratched his head. 

Yueh grinned, and began to grow a flame in her hands. Hunter began backing away, dropping the ball and waving his hands in front of him. 

"No way, ya? I'm not learnin' anythin' like that!" Yueh stepped forward like a cat getting ready to pounce its prey. "Oh, no, you can't make me do dat, ya? You can't—!" 

"Its simple! C'mon, you can use it to boost the attack power of your blitzball," Yueh added. Hunter stopped. 

"Ya mean, I don' have to use a doll?" he asked, his eyes still wide. 

Yueh nearly fell over. She made the flame disappear and shook her head. "Of course not! Sheesh…I mean, I usually use my flute, myself." She pulled the instrument from her belt and held it in front of her, showcasing it to Hunter. He looked at it closely, but didn't touch it. "I use it to…I guess you could say, to help channel my magic energy. It makes my attack spells more powerful." 

"Really? Dat's true?" 

Yueh nodded and put the flute to her lips. "Watch." She played a simple attack melody, the notes lilting and in all octaves. Ice began to ball up around her flute until she held the final note. That sent it flying at Hunter, and it hit his blitzball dead on, making it jump up from the ground in a whirlwind of cold air. Once the attack was done, the ball fell into Hunter's arms, where he promptly dropped it back onto the floor. 

"Dat's cold, ya?" he said, rubbing his hands together. Yueh laughed. 

"That's not even the highest ice spell I know," she informed him, placing her flute back on her belt. "Now, you try. Channel your energy into a flame—that always seems to be the easiest, I find." 

"Right, right," Hunter said. He creased his eyebrows and held out one hand. A small flame, no bigger than one a match would give off, appeared at one of his fingertips. He grinned, and the flame grew to the size of a baseball. 

"That's great! You're a quick learner…" Yueh picked the blitzball up from the ground. "Now, can you cast it onto a target?" she asked. 

"I think so," Hunter said, his eyes still on the flame in his palm. 

"Right." Yueh wound up and threw the blitzball up in the air. "Hit it, Hunter!" 

"Ya!" Hunter flung the flame at the flying ball, and it missed it narrowly. The flame hit the ceiling with minor damage, and the ball fell back to the ground unharmed. 

Both of them winced before Yueh laughed. "Ah, maybe we should practice this outside…" 

"If you're done destroying Cid's ship, I suggest you get your things and get ready to leave," came a half laughing voice from just down the hallway. Yueh turned around to see Arashi, bags on her back, approaching them. "We're almost to Besaid, and Cid is quite ready to shove us all off." She smiled. "So I figure we should go willingly before he makes us jump from a few thousand feet up." 

"Right!" Yueh said, flustered. She began to run down the hallway, trying to think of how many bags she had to carry. 

Arashi walked up to Hunter, who had to pick up his blitzball before following. 

"I think you should keep up the black magic." 

"Wha? Oh, dat—dat was Yueh's idea, I don't think—" 

"Trust me. It will come in handy." With that, Arashi walked back down the way, following Yueh back to their room. 

Hunter blinked. "She's scary…ya?" 


	39. Jump!

**Another chapter, finally! This authoress is horrible at updating...gomen nasai about that. But, here's another one! Yay! Enjoy, and if ya feel inclined, please comment on it! I love reviews ^_^ . 'Til next time, ja ne! --Ari**

"We can't do a full landin', 'cause there isn't enough space to put the ship," Cid said, for once, calmly. "So you're gonna have to jump down onto land from a rather high height." 

"Isn't that a double-positive?" Niet asked herself. 

"Since when is there such a thing as a double-positive?' Mattian asked her, snorting a laugh. 

"You know what I meant," Niet growled. Mattian simply grinned. 

"Jump?" Yueh asked. "As in, with parachutes and the like? Down to earth?" _To our most certain deaths?_ her mind added silently. 

"Ah, maybe dis isn't a good time ta mention it, but, I'm afraid of heights, ya?" Hunter said, clutching his blitzball. 

"Too bad, boy," Cid said, turning around. He picked up a backpack and threw it to Hunter, who dropped his blitzball to the ground to catch the bag. "It's the only way you're gonna get down there, and if you need to get down to find my daughter, you're _goin'_ down there!" 

Hunter gulped visibly and nodded. Yueh didn't blame him—she felt rather the same way. She tapped Arashi on the shoulder. 

"Do we have to do it this way? I mean, maybe we can find a place to land above Besaid—" Yueh's dark brown eyes blinked. Arashi's face was absolutely pale. Her cheeks were normally flushed. 

"Suki ja nai," the summoner muttered. She pushed her tinted glasses back up her nose and coughed. "I'm afraid so, Yueh. Grab a pack. Cid showed Gage and I how to use them, so we'll show you. We should be fine." Yueh did her own gulp before catching another parachute pack tossed by Cid. The other four retrieved theirs and put them on. Their other backpacks (their luggage) they placed on themselves backwards. 

"We go to the upper deck, stand outside, and await Cid's orders to jump," Arashi finished after she and Gage explained how to properly use the packs. Yueh still didn't feel rather secure—jumping off of the air ship wasn't exactly her idea of a good time. The only one who seemed to rather like the idea was Mattian. He also seemed to have done it once before—much to the chagrin of Niet. 

"No, no, like _this_," he explained to Niet for the fifth time. "You pull _this_ cord, _then _brace for it." 

Niet backed quickly away from Mattian, putting her hand over the pull cord. "I know! I get it, Mattian. I'm not stupid." 

Mattian snorted again. "That I would argue." 

"Hey!" 

"Do you two want another shower of silence magic?" Arashi asked without looking at the people in question. Both of them shut up rather quickly after that. "Good. Now, we go up to the upper deck and wait for Cid's signal." She turned to Cid and gave the Yevon bow out of habit. "Thank you again. We'll do our best to find your daughter." 

"You'd better," Cid mumbled. He went back to barking instructions in Al Bhed at his pilots. 

"Everyone, follow me." Arashi led the way to the upper decks. 

Once they were outside, Yueh began to shiver. This was almost as bad as Mount Gagazet. At least there they could have worn their cloaks. 

Hunter stepped up beside her, clutching his blitzball. "'Dis is _great_, ya? I'm freezin' my butt off…" Yueh nodded in response. 

"All right, you six. Get ready to jump!" came Cid's voice over the loudspeakers. "Three…" 

The group approached the edge of the craft warily. Yueh closed her eyes tightly. 

"Two…" 

Yueh opened one eye to look at Hunter. The wind was whipping his long hair against his face, but he didn't seem to notice in lieu of thinking he was going to die like this. Yueh had the sudden urge to reach out and grab his hand to comfort him, but figured it would be bad if they jumped out like that. 

"One…now!" 

The six all jumped at once, Mattian letting out a whoop of delight, Gage, Arashi, Yueh, and Hunter all silent, and Niet giving quite a scream—one that Yueh figured was not in happiness or delight. 

"Find Rikku or I'll find you!" she could hear Cid scream lastly from the loudspeakers on the ship. 

_We'll try, Cid, we'll try…_ Yueh looked over to Arashi whose face was still pale despite the blistering winds. _That is, if our summoner survives this trip._ "Arashi, you okay?" 

"Daijoubu, daijoubu," Arashi muttered loudly. She kept one hand out and put the other one up. "All right, everyone! On the count of three, release your parachutes! One, two, THREE!" 

Yueh pulled her parachute's "lever" quickly, and had her breath taken from her as the parachute made the drag and slowed her descent. Looking around, she saw everyone else beneath her view. 

"How is everyone? Everyone okay?" she heard Arashi ask. 

"I think I hurt my throat," Niet shouted hoarsely. 

"Figures!" Mattian shouted back, laughing. 

Yueh watched as Niet's bright red parachute began to move violently. "What?!? What did you say!?!" 

"Niet, you'll break the parachute!" Arashi reprimanded. The parachute continued to shake. 

"I don't care! Maybe if that jerk would lay off—" 

Now another parachute, this one a dark green color, began to move in a similar fashion to Niet's. "Who you calling a jerk? You started all of this!" 

"I did not!" 

"You did too—" 

Two small white jet streams of white magic shot from underneath a light blue parachute, causing both the red and green ones to be quiet and stop shaking. Yueh managed a laugh. No doubt who was using the light blue parachute… 

"Hey, where's Yueh?" Yueh heard Hunter ask. "I dun see her anywhere, ya? 

"I'm up here!" Yueh shouted out. 

"Where?" 

Yueh giggled again. "Above you! You just can't see me because your parachute is blocking your view!" 

"Oh…well, good, ya? We're all here!" 

The rest of the "flight" down was uneventful, until it came to land. First were Niet and Mattian, who, as the white magic spell wore off, began arguing again. Next landed Gage and Hunter, followed closely by Yueh. So closely, in fact, that she landed on top of Hunter. 

"Eh…" Hunter looked up at Yueh, who felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "Could…ah, could you get up, ya? You hit my leg kinda hard, ya…" 

"Oh! Oh, right, right." Yueh jumped up and held out a hand to pull up Hunter. 

"Hey, where's Arashi?" Gage suddenly asked. Yueh twirled around and looked at him. "I can't find her anywhere." 

"She couldn't have gone too far, I mean, she was right next to us," Yueh said worriedly, pulling Hunter up. She looked around. They had landed on the edge of a forest, right before the path that led back to New Besaid. Arashi was nowhere on the ground. "She was right here!" 

Yueh heard a cough from up above. Looking up, she saw a light blue parachute entangled in a tree. She followed the ropes down with her eyes, and they eventually landed upon Arashi, who was hanging from the tree, holding her skirt so no one could see up it. 

"…kindly get me down from here, would you? Niet's boomerang rapier should help." 

"Right," Yueh said. 

"Niet! Niet—quit arguing, Niet, your summoner is stuck up a tree!" Gage yelled suddenly. 

"And it isn't very comfortable!" Arashi added quickly, swinging back and forth gently in the breeze. 

"And you always are picking on me—huh?" Niet whirled around and saw Arashi glaring at her from up in the tree. "Oh, I guess you need to get down, huh?" She giggled nervously and pulled her rapier from its sheath. 

Yueh shook her head and removed her parachute backpack. "She never learns." 

"Neither does Mattian, ya?" Hunter said, doing the same. 

"Boomerang rapier!" Niet shouted like an anime super heroine, tossing the rapier up towards Arashi. The rapier glowed and, rather than cutting the ropes, cut the branches that the parachute and Arashi were hanging on. Everything fell to the dusty path in a heap, the parachute and branches on top. 

"Arashi!" five voices shouted out. Yueh was the first to reach her, and began to wildly throw off branches. 

_Not again, this is way too familiar…_ "Arashi!" Gage and Hunter had reached the pile, and threw off the last two branches. "Arashi?" 

The parachute sat up and groaned. A hand stuck out of a hole that had been ripped and beckoned for Niet to step closer. Niet did so. 

Another stream of white magic hit Niet in the forehead, knocking her backwards onto the ground. She got up to yell, but again found herself without a voice to use. 

Arashi pulled back the parachute, glaring at Niet through lopsided glasses. "Your accuracy stat could use a little building," she said slowly. Niet gave a small grin and what would have been a laugh, had she not been silenced. Arashi stood up and brushed herself off, much to Yueh's relief. "As punishment, you are not allowed to talk until we reach Besaid, or about an hour." Mattian went to gloat, but Arashi pointed a warning finger at him (not _the_ finger, mind you, just _a_ finger). "If you say anything mean to her, you're going along on the punishment." Mattian only nodded in understanding. 

Yueh paused for a moment before venturing to say anything. "Wait…we're an hour away?" 

Arashi brushed her bangs back. "If not that much, then a little less. Forty-five minutes if we keep a good pace." She began to fold up her parachute neatly. 

"Wow, did they drop us off target, ya?" Hunter said, stretching and cracking his neck. Yueh winced at the sounds. 

"No kidding," Mattian concurred. He crumpled his parachute up and quickly stuffed it in his backpack. He looked at Arashi as he did so. "Why are we keeping these?" 

"To make into cloaks," Arashi said. She looked at the stunned crowd around her. "Yueh, Niet, you remember how cold Mount Gagazet was. And we left our nice cloaks up there, I think." 

Yueh smacked herself in the forehead. 

Niet's mouth moved, but of course, nothing came out. Yueh squinted and tried to read her lips. 

"Niet says, 'Nice move on our part.'" Yueh snorted. "Thanks a lot, Niet." 

Mattian chuckled. "I bet it was her fault, too." Arashi gave a look to Mattian, whose eyes widened. He covered his mouth. "Right, right, sorry." 

"Fold up your parachutes and follow me." She began striding into the forest before stopping once again. She turned to everyone, her eyes shining. "I think I know how we can speed this up…" 

"Oh, no," Yueh moaned. Niet shook her head. 

All three guys simply stared. "What?" Gage asked, curious. 

Arashi lifted up an arm. "Ichi…ni…" 

"Get ready for a boost," is all Yueh said. Hunter blinked at her, confused. 

"San!" White magic bursts hit all members of the group, and Yueh felt the familiar sensation of drinking too much caffeine at a LAN party. 

Hunter's teeth were chattering. "H-h-hastega, y-ya?" 

Yueh nodded. "You'll get used to it." 

Niet shook her head again, and mouthed some words. 

"'With Arashi as the leader, you never get used to some things,'" Yueh translated. She giggled. "You got that right…" 

Gage tapped the two girls on the shoulders and pointed forwards. Arashi, Mattian, and Hunter were already running away. Yueh's face flushed a deep red. 

"Oh, right!" Yueh ran forwards, Niet tailing her closely. 

"March, everyone! Keep up, or else you'll get lost!" Arashi warned. She continued forging a path ahead by whipping the brush and weeds out of her way at a brisk pace. "Next stop, New Besaid, in forty-five minutes!" And then, she began singing the song that Yueh had known by heart since the Moonflow. 

"Kaeru no uta ga, kikoete kuru yo, gwa, gwa, gwa, gwa, gero gero gero gero gwa gwa GWA!" 

As the guys went on running, yet somehow staring bewilderedly, Yueh shook her head. "With Arashi as the leader, you never get used to some things…" And then, she sang along. 


	40. Oyasumi Nasai

**Here's the next chapter--the one after this, I'll tell you, is the tell all...^_^ So y'all are just going to have to be patient. But we're not over yet, nosiree! So, enjoy, and if ya like, review! It makes me write faster. ^_~;; 

Oh, and my new name is now Jedi Ari. Y'see, due to their new naming system, I got a 5 after my name--and I don't like having numbers after my name. Its just a personal thing. So, new name, same oddball stories! But y'all can still call me Ari. Shorter that way. ^_~ See you next chapter!**

The hour that it was supposed to take took only fifteen minutes, as Arashi's sense of direction had been thrown off, as was usually the case. 

Yueh took in a deep breath as she gazed upon the small village. It was nice to see the place had been completely rebuilt in the small amount of time they had been gone. All the rubble had been cleaned up and thrown away, and the new huts looked wonderfully inviting in the midst of the hot and sunny day. 

Arashi had already found Kihou, and was talking to him, asking him questions by the look of it. The three boys had already went about finding Kiri so she could make some food, and Niet, surprisingly had stayed behind with Yueh, staring at the village. 

"Nice now that it's all back up, eh?" Niet commented. Yueh nodded. 

"I'm glad they did it so quickly…" _Makes me feel better about the sinspawn attack, at least…_

Arashi approached Yueh and Niet, the priest walking off to his house. "Kihou says they found our chocobos here. They wandered back all by themselves, the notes still around their necks. Our wagon, apparently, is still in the Calm Lands." She smiled. "So, we'll have to walk, unless only two of us want to ride chocobos while the other four walk." 

"Four? You mean those guys are coming with there, too?" Niet shouted incredulously. 

Arashi simply nodded. "I thought you knew…" With that, she turned on her heels and headed towards Kihou's house. "The guys made arrangements for supper, so it's off to eat then onto the temple for a…visit." Yueh could almost hear Arashi smile as she walked off. 

"Food! Chicken teriyaki! Aaah!" Niet skipped onward to the small hut happily, continuing her little "mantra." "Food! Chicken teriyaki! Aaah!" Yueh followed, but a bit more calmly and dignified. 

Most of Kiri's hut looked the same as the first time they had visited, so the only conclusion that Yueh could come to was that a lot of things had been salvaged since the attack. However, the hut was now even more cramped than it previously had been, due to the place settings, seats, and a larger table needed for the seven people eating (Kihou, apparently, was not joining them). Arashi, Yueh, and Niet sat down on one side of the long table, and Gage, Hunter, and Mattian were already seated on the other side exactly across from them. 

"Food! Chicken teriyaki! Aaah!" Niet mumbled to herself. For a moment, Yueh thought she could see drool. 

That was when Kiri walked in with the largest plate of teriyaki and eggrolls that Yueh had ever seen. Kiri set it down on the table and sat down herself. 

"Let's eat! You must be hungry…" 

That said, everyone piled on the teriyaki and eggrolls and ate to their hearts content—or, rather, their stomach's content. 

*-*-*-*-*

Dinner didn't take very long, either, as everyone had acted like they'd been starved for a week as they ate everything. Yueh figured it was the same emotion that she had that caused them to act that way: nervousness. Arashi was the only one who even ate calmly. _Probably because she actually knows what's ahead of us. I guess if she's not worried, we shouldn't be, really…_

What did take a bit, though, was making the old parachutes into cloaks. A local seamstress offered to do it for free, but with only her and her assistant, it would take at least two days to get all six cloaks finished. Arashi, who had done some sewing in the past, offered to help, which guaranteed that the group would leave by the next morning. Until then, Arashi advised the rest of the gang to "rest up for the trip ahead." 

The other five took this to heart. Each picked out a bed at the inn and promptly fell asleep. Half an hour later, Arashi walked in and looked upon everyone, smiling. 

"Oyasumi nasai, minna-san…" _Good night, everyone._ She turned to leave. "Yoku nete…" _Sleep well…_

*-*-*-*-*

During the night the boat began pulling into the docks at Luca. The stars shone brightly in the sky, with the full moon next to them. Genki had fallen asleep, but Mariana, who always seemed to be awake, was standing on the bow of the ship, watching as they docked at Luca. 

She stared up at the moon, her hair down and blowing in the gentle winds. The voyage, although short, had been quite pleasant. As a summoner, she and Genki had gotten the best room on board and had thoroughly enjoyed the meals that were brought to them very frequently. It hadn't really felt like they had been on a ship at all—that was how smooth the ride had been. 

_But_, Mariana thought, still staring at the moon, _that wasn't the best part of the ride…_ She hopped down off of the bow and made her way back down to the lower decks. _I found something on this ride, something amazing…_

She snuck back into her room. Sitting down, Mariana watched her husband sleeping on the bed, his form bathed in moonlight from the lone window in the cabin. 

"And you helped me find the answer, Genki," she whispered, so quietly that a breeze could have overpowered it. Mariana kissed him gently on the cheek, and his eyes slowly opened. 

"Hm? Mari…what time is it?" He blinked his brown eyes and sat up. "Are we at Luca?" 

She put a hand to his cheek and smiled. "We're docking now, but we don't have to leave until the sun rises." Mariana pushed him back down on the bed and pulled the covers over him. "I'm sorry I woke you." 

"S'okay…" Genki had almost closed his eyes all the way again before he bolted back up. "You're sorry? But…but…" 

"Sleep," Mariana commanded softly. Genki tilted his head to one side, trying to study her face in the small bit of light in the cabin. Mariana simply smiled and made him lie down once more on the bed as she stood. 

"Good night, Genki. Sleep well." 

*-*-*-*-* 

Yueh was the first one to wake in the morning. To her non-surprise, it was Arashi's snoring that woke her up. She looked around the room to find the noise's owner, and saw her in the very corner by the entrance on the last bed available. Her fingertips were red, and her left index finger had a small bandage on it. Arashi's arms and legs sprawled across the small bed, engulfing it wholly. The bed had obviously been meant for a much smaller person—like a child. Yueh giggled and grabbed the sheet off her bed to cover the sleeping summoner up. 

Yueh left the small hut/inn and walked out down by the beach. Stretching, she looked over the ocean in front of her with a miniscule sigh. This time, the sun was rising, but it regardless reminded her of the last time she had been in this village. 

She sat down on the sand and stared up at the clouds that were beginning to form. The sky seemed less foreboding than it had on that day, however, and that fact cheered her up a bit. By the look of the clouds, it seemed it would be a good day—weather-wise, anyway. 

Yueh shifted. Sand was starting to creep its way in-between her toes and slowly up the hem of her capris. She stood up and dusted herself off. 

With one last look at the sky and the ocean, she walked back into the small village. Her mind turned to other things. 

_I wonder what happened to Mariana…we haven't heard of her or seen her for ages…_ She kicked a rock down the path. _And she really does want to control Sin. But Arashi let her go…it just doesn't make any sense._ Yueh kicked the rock again, and cursed silently as the rock hit her uncovered toe rather nastily. From then on, she just walked. _Wait…if Mariana's still out there, she could be heading for Sin right now! And if she beats us, then—_

Yueh ran back into the inn and began to wake everyone up. 

"Niet! Mattian! Gage! Hunt—ER!" She tripped on the edge of the boy's bed and fell straight onto his awakening form. 

Both of them blinked rapidly, but neither moved, of course. Niet, Mattian, and Gage, unfortunately, were up and laughing. 

"Woo, what were you doing, eh, you two?" Mattian asked, chuckling. Yueh and Hunter blushed a deep crimson red. "At least we couldn't hear you—OW!" Mattian had received a thwack on the head from the hilt-end of Niet's rapier. In less than a second, Niet was helping a rather stunned Yueh up off of the bed. 

"Yueh's not that way, you pervert." Mattian opened his mouth to reply and quickly got another hit on the head. "C'mon, Yueh, let's get Arashi." 

"She—she's right there," Yueh said, still stunned. 

Hunter was trying to defend himself. "I didn't do anything, ya? I woke up, and dere she was!" he said, gesturing wildly. "I didn't—" 

"Whoa ho! So she made the move on you—OUCH!" Mattian turned to Niet, who, as he had forgotten, was across the room. "Would you quit hitting me?!? Its just a joke!" 

Niet glared at him. "I didn't hit you." 

"I did," Gage said, calm, but with a hint of the laughter from before on his face. "Yueh tripped. I saw it as I woke up." 

"Well, so did I, but I thought it was—" 

Gage patted his friend on the shoulder. "You might wanna shut up while you're ahead." 

Niet and Yueh, meanwhile, were trying to wake up the ever-sleeping Arashi. Yueh, still a bit out of it, was poking her in the shoulder, while Niet was trying the "shout in her face" method. Neither was working well. Gage, Mattian, and Hunter soon joined in, all three of them trying Niet's method. Quite soon it was noisier than a chicken coop with a fox inside of it. Finally, Yueh shouted for everyone to be quiet—an order that took thirty seconds for everyone to comply with (Niet and Mattian being, of course, the last two to quiet down). 

"This isn't working," Yueh said, pointing out the obvious. 

"What else is there?" Gage asked. 

"She must be tired," Niet chimed in, lifting up one of Arashi's eyelids. Niet jumped backwards and tumbled over a bed. "Gyah!" 

"What?!" Yueh looked over at the fallen Niet, then back to Arashi. 

Who was sitting up and awake. 

"Mmm…sorry, I just couldn't will myself awake." She held up her red hands and smiled. "I was working late last night." 

"…oh." 

There was a moment's silence as Arashi hopped out of the bed and began making it back up. "So! We'll go collect our cloaks and leave for the Tsukikage temple." 

Niet stood back up and rubbed her stomach. "Without breakfast?" Arashi began to make her way out past the front desk of the inn. "Arashi?" 

The summoner took an apple from the complimentary fruit bowl on the front desk and tossed it to Niet. "You can eat this on the way." Niet groaned, and Yueh's mood improved even more. 

They were moving, and finally on their way to the temple.

*-*-*-*-*

"What does this temple look like again?" Mattian asked, looking around the forest. "A giant tree?" 

"Yes, with vines all around the front," Arashi said for the umpteenth time. She was leading the way, with Yueh consulting the map right behind her. "Tsuki's fayth is there, waiting for us." Arashi readjusted the hood of her cloak on her back. "So we must hurry for the conference." 

"Conference?" Yueh asked absentmindedly. 

"More or less, yes. With everyone." 

This stopped the whole group in their tracks. "What do you mean, 'everyone?'" Yueh questioned. 

Arashi kept walking. "I mean everyone in this group…and everyone in her group." 

"Whose group?" Arashi didn't turn around. "Whose group?!" 

"In two days…you'll see." She laughed lightly, and began swinging the belt on her waist. "You'll see." 

"I think she's psycho," Mattian whispered in an undertone. "This pilgrimage has been too much on her, I think." 

Gage shrugged and ran to catch up with Arashi. Once he was out of earshot, Mattian grinned evilly and glared at Niet. 

"I'll bet her guardians didn't take good enough care of her." 

"Hey!" 

Mattian shot off, and Niet followed him quick as lightning. He was laughing his head off, and she was steaming mad. _If they don't shut up soon, Arashi's going to use a little white magic silencing…_

Hunter scratched the back of his head, looking after the other four. "We should probably get going, ya?" 

Yueh nodded, blushing for no reason that she could see. "Yeah…probably." 

Hunter, whose tanned face was turning red, held out his arm for Yueh to take. Yueh's own face went darker as she took the offer. 

The two smiled nervously at each other as they ran to catch up with the rest of the group. 


	41. Truths Revealed

**Here it is, the moment you've been waiting for! Whee! Have fun with this...although, there's a tad more in the next chapter, too. I mean, I had to have _some_ sort of cliffhanger. .;;; So! Here's my plot...and if you think this part sucks, then I'm not going to continue it. It alllll hinges on this...can ya tell I'm nervous?? Please tell me what ya think! Thanks!!! --Jedi Ari** 

It was a couple of days later, and the whole crew (except for Arashi, who now seemed to have some sort of supply of limitless energy) was absolutely exhausted. 

"I don't think it took this long last time," Yueh began, wiping sweat off of her forehead, "to get from that temple to New Besaid." She sat down against a large tree trunk and let out a breath. 

Niet nodded and sat down beside Yueh. "There's one thing I do remember about this little trip last time…" Niet held up a handful of blackberries and groaned. "Our bit of food supply…berries, mushrooms, and _fish_," she finished, obviously disgusted. 

"I like blackberrish!" Mattian said around a mouthful of the food. He swallowed and threw another handful down into his mouth. "Berry good." Niet groaned again, Yueh joining her this time. Mattian turned his head to one side. "What?" 

"Dey're okay, ya?" Hunter said, tossing a berry in the air and catching it in his mouth. "I tink dis isn't healthy for us, though. We need other stuff, too, ya?" 

"Exactly!" Niet said, jumping up. She threw a hand in the air. "A person can't survive on berries alone!" 

"That's why we have mushrooms and fish, Niet," Arashi said, calmly walking by the group. Niet began a protest, but Arashi put up a hand. 

"We're here." 

"Really?" Niet asked, looking around. 

Yueh blinked. "Um, Arashi…where's the tree?" 

Arashi smiled slyly. "You're sitting on it." 

Yueh jumped up and turned around. Sure enough, she had been leaning against the temple the whole time. Only this time… 

"There are more vines on the front than before! How are we supposed to get past that?!" Niet asked. 

"Easy!" Mattian shouted, pulling a huge katana from behind him. He got into a fighting stance. "We cut through!" 

"Down, Auron," Gage said, rolling his eyes. "It wouldn't work." Mattian, saddened, put the katana away. 

"Den how?" Hunter asked, putting a hand through his brown hair. "If we can't cut it…" 

"What is the one thing that we all have?" Arashi asked quietly. "What gives us the powers above everyone else?" 

Yueh's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Mattian, who had pulled out his katana again. 

"Weapons!" he shouted, charging for the door. Arashi winced before he had even gotten two feet from the door. 

Mattian was flung back from an invisible force field across the way and into another tree. He began muttering something under his breath that Yueh couldn't understand as he stood up and put away his sword once more. 

Arashi turned to Yueh expectantly. "Well?" 

Yueh swallowed and held up her dolphin-shaped charm that hung around her neck. "The jewels." 

Arashi nodded and took out the belt to hold up the crescent moon jewel she owned. Niet glanced at the star-shaped gem on her wristband, and the three guys looked confused. 

"What about us?" Gage asked. Arashi stepped forward and pointed out the gems on each of their clothes. Gage had a charm shaped like Saturn that resided on the side of his own belt. Mattian's jewel sat right in the middle of his chest, a comet shaped gem that was at the crossing point of the two belts that went around his torso. Lastly, Hunter's was also on a belt, right in the middle where the buckle would normally be, in the shape of a radiant star like the sun. 

Mattian looked down at the jewel that sat at his chest. "…I always thought those were just decoration." 

Gage shifted nervously. "I knew that they had something to do with this…she was always looking at it when she talked to me…" 

Hunter and Mattian turned to Gage. "When who talked to you?" Mattian asked. 

Arashi simply smiled. "Step up to the door and you'll see soon enough." She herself strode up to the vine-encased door and held her charm up high. The door began to glow. 

Yueh and Niet stepped up and held their charms right next to Arashi's. The vines glowed even brighter than before. 

Gage looked at his own companions and walked forwards, Hunter and Mattian not far behind them. They detached the jewels from their belts and held them up to the door. 

Yueh closed her eyes. The door was shining as bright as the sun at noonday at this point, and didn't let up until a few seconds later. When it did, the vines were no longer there. 

Arashi set her belt around her shoulders and smiled. 

"Come on in, everyone. The time has come."

*-*-*-*-*

"Oof!" 

Genki tripped over his cloak for the fifth time that day. Gagazet was cold, all right. And so was he. 

Mariana had left her hair down, and had gone without a cloak. Genki was still trying to figure out how she wasn't at all cold in the short skirt and strapless top. Although, he supposed, her long hair made for a bit of an insulator around her shoulders, at least. 

Mariana stopped at a higher peak before entering the mountain's caves themselves. She sniffed the cold air and smiled, turning back to Genki. 

"When we get deeper inside the mountain, we'll camp for the night, Genki," she said quietly. She hopped off of the peak and strolled forwards. "When we reach Zanarkand, we'll—" 

"I know," Genki said miserably. "We'll sacrifice ourselves and let Sin respawn yet again." 

"No," Mariana chided softly. Genki raised an eyebrow at his wife. "No. We'll wait for them to come. So they can see, too." 

"They? They who?" Genki asked. She didn't reply. Instead, she headed into the mountain. He thought for a moment, furrowing his eyebrows. "Wait, do you mean those girls you fought before? Is that who?" Yet again, there was no response. He heaved a sigh and ran silently after his wife into the mountain's caves.

*-*-*-*-*

The Cloister of Trials had already been completed once before, so the boys in the group were spared the thought of trying to figure out what had been an immensely easy puzzle back in the beginning. 

Arashi led the group straight back to the Fayth's chamber and again held up her charm. The vines on the second door receded, and her jewel began to glow—along with the other five jewels on her belt. 

"See you guys in a bit," Arashi whispered as the five jewels disappeared from her belt. Her moon-shaped gem stayed on the belt. 

"Um, okay, Arashi…see you in a bit?" Yueh half-asked. The summoner shook her head. 

"Nuh-uh. You guys are coming with me," she replied. Whirling around, she began to walk backwards into the chamber. 

"We aren't supposed to…aren't we?" Niet asked. She pulled her book out of her backpack and began to flip through its pages. Arashi shook her head, and Yueh put a hand on the book. Niet looked up at Yueh. 

"I think," she began quietly, "that this is an exception." Gage nodded as well. 

"Come on in," Arashi said. She turned back around and walked into the chamber. 

The other five didn't look at each other. They all walked in after her, completely silent (for once). Arashi was seated in the middle, right in front of a small, round dip in the wooden floor. 

"Sit down." They did. "Okay, we're ready now." 

"All right," a gentle voice said. Yueh recognized it as the same voice that had first told her to use the flute. Arashi settled in and got comfortable as a figure began to appear in front of them, kneeling and floating just above the dip in the floor. As it became less and less transparent, there was a collective gasp from everybody in the room except Arashi and Gage. 

"Yuna," Yueh whispered quietly. 

"Yuna's the fayth!?" Niet and Mattian shouted simultaneously. Their voices rang sharply against the walls. 

"No need to shout," Yuna said, laughing lightly. "I can hear you just fine." She smiled kindly at them all. 

"What about the others?" Arashi asked, pushing her tinted glasses back up her nose. "They are going to, ah, show up as well, correct?" 

"In a moment," Yuna said, shifting a bit. "Sir Auron said it would be best so as to not 'shock them all at once.'" 

"Sir Auron?" Hunter asked. Yuna lifted a hand to her mouth, her face turning red. 

"Oops." 

"Its all right, Yuna," Auron said, appearing across from Mattian. Mattian simply stared up at him as Auron sat down. "I believe they're over the shock of seeing you." Auron's one eye trailed across to Arashi. "I still would…_appreciate_ my glasses back, Lady Arashi." 

Arashi giggled, shook her head, and played with the glasses sitting on her nose. "Nope. They're still mine, Auron." 

"I _knew_ I had seen them before!" Yueh exclaimed, hitting her fist in her hand. 

"Yup. I, ah, borrowed them from him when I met him by the Moonflow," Arashi explained. 

"Stole is more like it," Auron grumbled. 

"Oh, come on, Auron, don't be such a stick in the mud!" shouted an exuberant voice across from Niet. All of the group's eyes looked over there to see Rikku, just making herself comfortable on the wooden floor. "She needs them more than you do, anyway." 

Arashi smiled at her. "Exactly what I told him." Auron was silent. 

Yueh looked around herself frantically as another figure appeared, this one across from Gage. There were no words from him, and as soon as the shimmering form became even a bit clearer, it was obvious no words were needed: Kimahri was now sitting across from Gage. His feline eyes looked at Gage and he nodded in what Yueh thought was some sort of approval. Gage gulped slightly and nodded back. 

_I don't blame him—those Ronsos scare me, too._

"Agh, 'dis is too cold, ya?!" shouted a voice without an owner. Yueh laughed and shook her head—that was none other than— 

Wakka shivered as he appeared in front of Hunter. "Geez, ya think ya would'n' get cold as a ghost, ya?" Hunter laughed a bit, even in his shocked state. 

"You're not a ghost, Wakka," came a cool, clear voice across from Yueh. "If you were, you wouldn't be in our company, and you most certainly wouldn't be annoying us right now." Yueh nearly snorted with laughter. That kind of sarcasm and cynicism could only come from one member of Yuna's little entourage. 

Lulu tossed her braids behind her shoulder. Her crimson eyes stared at Yueh a moment before she spoke again. "Nice to meet you." 

"I'm not annoying, ya?!?" Wakka shouted indignantly for a moment. Lulu looked at him for a second before simply turning her head to ignore him, which infuriated him further. "I'm talkin' to you, ya, Lu? Lissen t'me!" 

"Stop your childish behavior, both of you," Auron commanded, looking down the line with his one piercing eye. "There are more important manners at hand." 

"Sir Auron is right," Yuna said, nodding. 

"Right. Now that we're all here—" Arashi began. 

"But we're not," Yueh said, confused. "Where's Tidus?" 

"Yeah, where is blondie?" Niet asked, glancing around the chamber. 

Yuna's guardians and Arashi and Gage were suspiciously silent, and Yuna looked over all of them with a sweeping glance. 

"Tidus…is he here?" 

Lulu, Rikku, and Wakka all looked down, away from Yuna's hoping gaze. Kimahri looked rather sad, but didn't avert his eyes. Auron and Arashi looked at Yuna, and Arashi was the first to speak. 

"This…is the not so good part, Yuna. I found this out from Auron, and just recently I found out something else…" 

Auron spoke up as Arashi trailed off. "There are two people that currently exist as Sin, together in that form. One of them—" 

"Is my boyfriend," Arashi said, her eyes slowly tearing up. "Brent—I guess you could call him Atrah—got stuck in there, somehow, and the other person—" 

A short silence. Arashi looked to Auron. 

"You say it. I…I can't…" She pulled out her handkerchief and wiped her eyes. 

Everyone looked at Auron, who sat up straight and spoke as calmly as he could. 

"Sin is both Atrah…and Tidus." 


	42. Ideas

**Yea! You actually kinda liked my ideas! YAY!! XD Anyway, this is the, ah, remainder of the explanation, I guess. Also, I apologize for the lateness--this chapter was written around school starting time and I didn't have any time to finish it right away. So, here it is! Aaaand, happy one year ficcy anniversary to me! LOL, yup, pathetically enough, this fic is one year old! Sad, ain't it? ^_~;; So, happy birthday, fic! ::gives the fic a cake:: Hope you guys will stick with me to the end! Its coming very soon! See ya next time! --Jedi Ari**

Yuna's face paled. "Tidus is Sin?" 

Yueh blinked. Sin was two people—the most loved people of both summoners. Arashi and Atrah, Yuna and Tidus. But how… 

"How is that possible?" Yueh asked quietly. 

Yuna was beginning to cry, and Arashi crossed over to her and gave her a hug. 

"I know, it's hard…but we'll fix it…" Yuna sobbed into Arashi's shoulder. "We'll fix it…" 

"How?" Yueh repeated, looking at all of Yuna's guardians. 

Auron, of course, was the one to talk. "As far as Sin being two people, I don't know. The rest all begins with a mishap involving Seymour Guado and Mariana." 

This caught the attention of all of Arashi's guardians—even Gage. Apparently, he didn't know as much as Yueh had thought. 

"You mean that slutty chick is in on this, too?" Niet asked incredulously. 

"Not by her own willing—at first, at any rate," Lulu said. 

"Y'see, she was just a little girl, minding her own business, when her parents went out to fight Sin by their village," Rikku began, gesturing wildly. "Then, WHAM! Almost the whole village was killed fighting Sin! That icky Seymour happened to be in the area—" 

"Though he was much younger, around eight or nine," Lulu cut in for a moment. 

"—and he began yakking about how you could become Sin, and he dropped a jewel that connects your world to ours—" 

"A transportation device, among other things," Auron said. "We don't know where he got it from originally." 

"—as he walked away." Rikku stood up and began walking around. "Mariana was only about five, so she picked up the stone. She thought it was pretty—which it was—but anyway, she screamed something at Sin, and was taken to your world—" 

"That is, here before Sin came along," Lulu interjected. Rikku gave her a short look. 

"Quit interrupting me!" She coughed. "So, she got here, but lost the jewel. She had landed in what became Yueh's backyard, and she found it—" 

Yueh sighed and stared at the wooden floor. "I think we know the story from there, Rikku." 

Rikku paused, then laughed. "Yeah, I s'pose you do. Cunno!" 

"But why did the stone split when we came into the picture?" Arashi asked from next to Yuna. "It was just one big piece." 

"It was one piece in Mariana's possession. As she dropped to this earth, it broke into two: Yueh found one, and Hunter found the other." 

Yueh took a quick glance at Hunter. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, its my fault 'dis all happened, ya?" 

"But its my fault, I tried to call Valefore—" 

"But I tried to bring Bahamut here, and—" 

Yueh and Hunter's eyes locked. Lulu rubbed her forehead lightly. "This…is where things get complicated." 

"This I didn't know," Arashi said. Yuna looked up, her eyes almost dry once again. "I thought it was purely Yueh's…ah…accident." 

"I thought it was from Hunter's attempt at Bahamut," Gage said, furrowing his eyebrows. 

"So, its both their faults?" Mattian asked rather tactlessly. Niet glared at him and grasped the hilt of her rapier, but Arashi gave her a short look before turning to Auron. 

"What exactly caused this, then?" 

Auron coughed, and went to push up his glasses—before he seemed to remember they weren't there. Coughing again, he said, "If Yueh or Hunter had called them separately, most likely nothing would have happened. However, since they happened to call both Bahamut and Valefore at the same time…" 

"At the same time?" Yueh and Hunter asked incredulously. 

"Uh huh, then, BAM!" Rikku clapped her hands together. "We came here!" 

"It's not quite that simple," Lulu interrupted. She shook her head, and the beads in her hair jangled. "It's rather complicated, to be honest." 

"Ya. Y'see, Lu explained it t'me—" 

"And I can explain it once more, Wakka," she said coolly. Lulu looked at everyone in turn. "When the aeons were both called at the same time, it brought the spiral of Spira along with it. The fiends, the aeons, Sin…and Yu Yevon." 

"Who's that?" asked Niet. Yueh and Arashi sighed. 

"Remember the religion of Yevon? The Yevonites? He's their god," Yueh explained quickly. Niet nodded slowly. Yueh turned back to Lulu and said, "Please, go on." 

"This time, Yu Yevon was not separate from his creation, Sin. Sin, or Atrah and Tidus, fused with Yu Yevon," Lulu went on. "This having happened, Sin cannot be defeated in the…traditional way." 

"No sacrifice," Rikku chirped up. She gained a silencing look from the black mage. Rikku pouted. 

"But, if it can't be defeated the 'traditional' way," Yueh began, "then how do we get rid of it?" 

"That would be the question," Auron said. 

"Why wouldn't the normal way work?" Gage asked. "It would get rid of Yu Yevon along with Sin, wouldn't it?" 

"Two things," Arashi said, standing up. "One: it would kill both Tidus and Atrah." 

"You mean we can still save them?" Yuna asked. 

"Yes. Two: Yu Yevon would simply take in the sacrifice of the aeon and summoner, and they would be his new Sin, his new support," the blond summoner explained. "I don't know why, but that is how it works. I found out for myself when we almost died that way." 

"Who told you?" asked Yueh. 

Arashi paused, and moved back to being across from Yuna before she spoke. "Tidus and Atrah told me." She sat and sighed, suddenly looking older than her teenage years. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she said, "As I slept, they told me…they would die if we did it." 

"I suppose Sin would know more than us," Auron said, shifting. 

"Then what do we do?" Niet asked. "How do we get rid of it?" 

"And bring back everyone else," Yueh added, thinking of her friend's families that were gone. 

"Dat we don't know, ya?" Wakka said, scratching the back of his neck. 

"We wouldn't then, either," Gage said, sighing. "I was kind of hoping you guys would know." 

"I'm not sure how, but I know we'll need your help," Arashi said, looking down the row at Yuna and her Guardians. "If you could travel with me, with us, travel to Zanarkand again." 

"How would they do that? Cram into a wagon with us?" Mattian asked, snorting. 

"We would travel in the form of the jewels again, Mattian," Auron said, giving a piercing stare to his Earth counterpart. Mattian shrunk back. 

"You were in the jewels?" he asked. 

"I was wondering where those came from," Yueh mumbled. 

"Would you? Please," Arashi begged. 

"Do you have any clue as to how to defeat Sin?" Lulu asked coldly. 

"One, an inkling of an idea, a bit of fluff, an idea so small it might just float away if I don't catch it…" She mimicked catching a piece of fuzz in the air before bowing where she sat. "Please. I need you guys on this one…all of you." 

The Guardians and Summoner of Spira looked at one another. 

"It is your decision, Yuna," Auron finally said. 

Yuna took a deep breath before nodding sharply. "I will go. We will go." 

"Thank you," Arashi whispered. Her own guardians remained silent. 

_Sin is two people, and Yu Yevon…and Arashi has an idea. This…cannot be good._ Yueh kept quiet as the Spiran Summoner and Guardians began to dissolve once more. 

"We'll see you at Zanarkand, then," Yuna said, managing a smile. 

"Bye!" Rikku said, waving wildly. 

"See ya den, ya?" Wakka added. 

The others disappeared without a word, swirling into clouds of sparkling dust and returning as jewels to Arashi's belt. This time, there was another jewel, shining brighter than a diamond in the sun. 

The red jewel grew brighter and a voice emitted from it. "I expect my glasses back then, Lady Arashi." 

Another jewel on the belt glowed as the other faded to its normal color. "Auron, you're so picky…" 

The room was silent again. 

"All along, Yuna was the fayth," Niet said. Her voice echoed throughout the empty chamber. 

"And her guardians were with us," Mattian said nervously. "Auron didn't seem to happy with us." 

"Dat's because he thinks we're kids, ya?" 

"No, it's because he's grumpy he didn't have his glasses back," Arashi said, standing up. She stretched out her arms and yawned. "We should head out now, before Mariana does the traditional defeat." Much quieter, so that only Yueh heard, she added, "Before Mariana kills Atrah…" 

"Mariana's probably pretty close to Zanarkand, right?" Gage half-said, half-asked. Arashi nodded lightly. "Then we'll take the airship. There's a save sphere somewhere around here, isn't there?" 

"If we come back without Rikku, its gonna be bad, ya?" Hunter said. He pretended to slice his throat with a finger while making a gross noise. "Death, ya?" 

Mattian stood up straight and cleared his throat. Yueh got the distinct feeling that he was trying to act more like Auron—this deduction partially due to the fact that he closed one eye more than the other, as if trying to get a look at the world from Auron's point of view. 

"We'll tell him his daughter is safe, but unable to speak with him," Mattian suggested. Niet rolled her eyes at his newfound seriousness. "If he doesn't believe it, we'll simply explain that he needs to follow our instructions in order to see his daughter again." Niet made hand motions of a blabbing mouth as he talked. Hunter chuckled as he stood up and walked over to Yueh, who was in front of Mattian and Niet. 

Gage thought a moment, a hand to his chin. "I guess that's our only choice. That's the only way we'll ever get there fast enough." 

"Den dat's dat, ya? We're goin'," Hunter said, putting an arm around Yueh's shoulders. She blushed. 

"Right," Arashi said. She frowned and began pacing within the chamber, next to the door. "That is, if we can contact them." 

Mattian's stoic facade faltered as he stuttered, "What do you mean, 'if?'" 

Arashi paced straight out of the chamber. "Exactly what it sounds like. If." 

The group groaned at their flaky summoner. Yueh shook her head and walked out of the grip of Hunter's strong arm. 

"I know what she means. The original sphere at my house didn't have the option of the airship on it," Yueh explained, tugging on one of her bangs. "So even if we found a sphere, it might not have the option on it." 

"But…but…" Niet pushed past Mattian (who grunted in a bit of annoyance) and grabbed one of Yueh's shoulders. "In the book, it said they couldn't use that until they had found the airship! And we found it, didn't we? So, so, wouldn't it be there?" 

"She has a point," Mattian grumbled, somewhat reluctantly. 

From the other room, a slightly surprised voice said, "Well, what do you know." 

The other five adventurers ran into the Cloister of Trials to see Arashi looking at an overly elaborate version of a save sphere, with the shapes of all their gems revolving around the blue orb. Arashi's gray eyes lit up as she poked the sphere, engaging the menu. 

The group let out a collective sigh as they saw a new option on the very, very bottom of the list: 

_Teleport to Airship._

Arashi made a sweeping motion to the menu and said, "Shall we?" 

Yueh smiled with relief. "Yes, let's." Her nightmare was almost over… 

_And…_ She smiled wider as she looked to Hunter. _I'm not alone in it anymore…_

As if reading her thoughts, Hunter came up and took her hand. He whispered softly, "Together…we'll do it." 

Yueh nodded. "Right." 

"Aw, the lovebirds are whispering sweet nothings to each other! How cute!" Niet blurted, clasping her hands together, grinning. Yueh expected a retort or some sort of defense from Mattian, but he just pushed past everyone and hit the last menu option on the sphere. 

"All aboard!" Arashi said, grabbing onto Mattian's shoulder and Niet's wrist. "Everyone, stick together! Keep your hands and feet inside the teleporter at all times! We don't want to lose any limbs!" 

Niet, a bit spooked at Arashi's joke, grasped Gage's sleeve, and Gage put a hand on Hunter's shoulder. Hunter squeezed Yueh's hand, and Yueh blushed deeper. 

_Together…_

The sextet became engulfed in a flash of light before they disappeared completely from sight.


	43. One More Day

**Yeah, yeah, I know, I know...long time no see, yes? School's been keeping me ultra-busy, what with Calculus and science and English...urgh. So, here's the next long awaited chapter of Across Worlds! Not that its exactly the greatest or anything...lol. Anyway, here it is, and enjoy 'til I get the next one up! I promise that I'll try to do it faster this time. ^_^;;; Ja! --Jedi Ari** 

"Waaaaaagh!" 

"Ouch!" 

"Get offa my leg, ya?!" 

"Ow ow ow! My hair!" 

"I think I landed on Mattian's katana…" 

"No, that would be my boot." 

Yueh, who had been the last to be teleported, stood up from the top of the pile, rubbing her head gingerly. She had been sitting on top of Hunter's stomach, but had hit her head on the tip of Gage's boot. 

"I think we need to work on our teleportation skills," Yueh said dryly. 

"Someone's elbow is in my hair!" Arashi shouted, her voice pained. "Get up!" 

"I can't! Hunter's squashing me!" Niet whined. Hunter jumped up and stumbled over someone's feet—Yueh couldn't tell whose. Niet rolled over off of the pile, and Arashi let out a sigh of relief. Gage stood up slowly, and helped Mattian to his feet. Mattian rubbed his back where his katana's sheath was, wincing. Arashi lay sprawled out on the floor, twitching slightly. 

"I think we killed th' summoner, ya?" Hunter said, leaning over the spasming girl. 

"Arashi!" Niet and Yueh pulled Arashi up from the floor. Arashi cracked her neck and stretched out her limbs. 

"You okay, Arashi?" Niet asked. 

Arashi looked across the large room and said, "It depends on what he does." The rest of the group turned around to see a not-very-happy looking Cid, standing with his eyebrows creased and his arms crossed across his chest. 

"Where's my daughter?!" 

"Well, Mattian, here's your chance," Niet said, elbowing the young man in the ribs. He stepped a bit away from her, a slightly bewildered look on his face. 

"What are you talking about?" he whispered hoarsely. 

"Go ahead, tell him, _Auron_," she said even quieter. Yueh heard, but wasn't laughing. An angry Cid was a scary sight: he looked rather like a demon of sorts. 

Mattian cleared his throat and stepped in front of the group. Yueh couldn't help but notice he kept one hand behind his head—resting nervously on the hilt of his katana. "Your daughter is safe, but unable to see you. She—" 

"Whaddya mean, 'unable to see me?'" Cid shouted, grabbing the belts that hung around Mattian's chest. The older man began shaking Mattian around uncontrollably, thrashing him left to right. "Where is she? You said you'd find her!" 

"Calm down, Cid!" Gage shouted. He ran up to the two and tried to wrench Mattian from Cid's tight grasp, but Cid wouldn't let go. 

"Where is she? Where's my daughter?!" he screamed again, his voice cracking. Mattian's neck flopped back and forth limply. Mattian, it seemed, was trying to stay calm and let his body go loose. However, this just made it easier for Cid to throttle him. 

"Cid!" This time, Hunter, Yueh, and Gage all shouted his name (Niet had a rather satisfied look on her face). He stopped shaking Mattian's brains loose for a moment to look at them. 

"Where is she?!" 

Arashi, still rubbing the part of her head where Niet had nearly ripped her hair out, stepped forward in front of everyone. "Calm down, Cid." 

"My daughter is missing! Where is she?!" he shouted again. 

"Just calm down and I'll tell you, Cid," Arashi said quietly. Cid's face was beet red and he was breathing hard. 

"Where—?" 

Yueh didn't say a word, but suspected what Arashi was going to do when she pulled out her belt. Cid stepped back, apparently thinking Arashi was going to attack him with her belt-whip. Instead, Arashi held it out straight in front of her and let it loose from her grasp. Yueh waited for it to hit the floor, but instead, it hovered out in front of her, the jewels sparking and glowing in turn like a Christmas tree. 

The light from the jewel in the middle suddenly intensified, and in the next second, a single-hue Rikku was standing between Arashi and Cid. She smiled nervously and waved just the same. 

"Hi, dad." 

Cid, in a very uncharacteristic manner, began to cry. 

"Rikku…Rikku, what…?" He tried to touch her shoulder, only to go straight through and nearly hit Arashi instead. "How…" 

Rikku tried to laugh calmly, but it came across as forced. "Well, that's kind of a long story…" 

Yueh herself nearly let out a small snort. _She's not so bubbly in front of her dad, is she now? Then again, I'd be pretty scared, too…_

"Here's the thing, Cid: this time around, Sin is no ordinary Sin," Arashi began. Rikku nodded earnestly. "Sin is three people, including Yu Yevon himself. But if we don't kill him off the right way, the other two people will die and Yu Yevon will just revive again with Sin. And to do that—" 

"They need me and everyone else," Rikku finished with another nod. 

"How did this happen, Rikku?" 

Rikku gave a weak smile. "Another long story." 

"But she'll be safe with us, Cid, I assure you," Arashi said, giving the fancy bow. "Until then, she should reside in the jewel to maintain full power of her…ah, spirit. Not to mention my own—" 

"She's dead? But the Farplane just creates the memories—" 

"Dad, I'm not dead…" 

"Far from it," Gage interjected, standing next to Arashi. 

"Lulu nearly bit Wakka's head off when he said he was a ghost," Yueh added. 

"So I'm not dead," Rikku repeated. 

Cid was silent, so Arashi went on. "She can still talk to you through the jewel, it's just that appearing in this form takes not only her energy, but a great deal of mine, as the belt is in my possession," she said quietly, leaning forward a bit. Her cheeks were beginning to pale as well. 

Cid nodded. He had stopped crying, and, as a matter of fact, looked quite back to his old self already. Yueh couldn't even see the traces of the tears if she squinted hard. 

"Right, then. I'll talk to you later, missy," Cid said, giving quite a look at Rikku as she faded away once more into the jewel. To be perfectly honest, Rikku didn't look too pleased, either. 

Arashi smiled kindly and fell to the floor. The whole group jumped and rushed to her side. 

"Arashi!" Niet held up Arashi's head and looked closely. 

"She's asleep—ow!" The belt that had been hanging mid-air had finally fallen on top of Niet's head, trailing from her forehead down the middle of her face and past her chin. Mattian began laughing and Niet gave him a glare that would kill most normal people who received it. She let Arashi's head drop back to the floor and began to chase Mattian around the corridor—the belt having fallen once more from her head and onto Arashi's torso. 

"Niet…" Yueh shook her head and looked up at Hunter. "She's always like that." 

"I'll bet, ya?" He looked over Arashi. "I think she's just tired, ya? Maybe Gage can carry 'er to a room." 

Gage sighed. "I carried her from Yunalesca, and now I have to carry her again…can't she ever just stay awake for once?" 

Yueh giggled. "We have a narcoleptic summoner." 

"Get back here, Mattian! I'm gonna kill you!" Niet screamed from another hallway. Raucous laughter followed this statement, which was then completed with another scream from Niet. 

"I'll take our summoner up to her room, but you two have to take care of the disastrous duo over there before they destroy the ship, or each other," Gage said wryly. He picked up Arashi and gave a small grunt. "I swear, she must have gained weight or something…" 

"I don't think she'd like that comment, Gage," Yueh said, rolling her eyes. Gage shrugged and went on down the hallway. 

"I'll fly you as far as I can to Zanarkand. I think I can drop you off at the top of Mount Gagazet," Cid said, tapping his chin. "Have to ask the crew if they think we can maneuver it enough…" He wandered off, muttering to himself. 

Hunter heaved a sigh and rubbed his forehead. "Well, now we gotta figure out what t'do wit dose two," he said, barely giving a glance as the psychotic pair ran past Yueh and Hunter again. 

Yueh clapped her hands together. "Right. Gather them up and then I'll teach you some more magic." 

Hunter gaped. "More magic?! Dat's nuts, ya?" 

"No, they're nuts," Yueh said, watching Niet and Mattian race by once more. "We're smart. I think black magic will help you out, personally." _Plus, I get to be with him longer…_ She blushed subconsciously. 

"Uh-huh. So…" 

"Get back here!" 

"What, you want me to fight you and kick your butt?" 

"ARGH!" 

"So much for his kick as an Auron-type," Yueh said regretfully. "He was actually taking this serious for a moment." 

"I don't think he can give up a chance to make Niet mad, ya?" Hunter said. His eyes followed Niet and Mattian as they ran through more corridors, the metal clanking madly underneath her sandals and his boots. Hunter paused to listen to it. "I think dey're gonna break th'floor, ya?" 

"We'd better stop them…" Yueh raised her hand and threw it down, yelling out, "Chill!" Ice surrounded the feet of Niet and Mattian as they flew by and rooted them to the floor. Mattian yelped as he nearly fell forward, almost breaking the black mage's ice. Niet leaned forward and hit her head into Mattian's back where, of course, his katana was sheathed. 

"Ow! Mattian!!!" she screamed. 

"That was not my fault!" Mattian yelled out. "Not my fault!" 

Yueh shook her head and put a hand to her forehead, very reminiscent of when Lulu scolded Wakka. "Come on, or else I'll freeze your mouth, too." Both people shut up quite quickly after that, and simply tried to escape from the ice around their feet. 

"That should keep them busy for a while," Yueh said, wandering off. Hunter gave a small laugh and followed her. "Now, to an open place where we can practice enchanting that blitzball of yours." 

Hunter let out a groan, and Yueh simply grinned. This was going to be fun…as long as they didn't break the ship.

*-*-*-*-*

The group had returned to their room to sit and await news of the trip to Zanarkand. Mattian was sharpening his katana (while trying to look like Auron, Yueh thought), while Niet was happily oblivious to him and his glares as she read her thick book of Spiran knowledge (which, at one point, made Mattian mutter under his breath, "Like she can even remember anything with that small brain of hers," which Yueh vaguely heard). Arashi was on her bed, staring at the ceiling and singing in a foreign language (Japanese, Yueh figured), while Gage was tending to his old wound and putting new bandages around it (Yueh couldn't quite tell why he didn't just have Arashi take care of it for him with a dash of white magic). 

Yueh, meanwhile, was still teaching the basics of magic to Hunter. He had his blitzball in his hands, and was trying to make it spark with electricity (ice and fire he had already done fairly well). Yueh had her mog doll in one hand, showing him how to make any object spark with it as an example. 

"You kind of send the magic to the thing," she said, letting the doll jump down from her hand and on to the ship's floor. "It being an object, it sort of absorbs it, and…well, there you go! Magically electric thing!" The doll took a bow before falling limp to the floor, lacking electricity and movement once again. Yueh looked to Hunter. "See? Just like fire and ice!" 

"Ow! Dis is hard, ya!?" He dropped the ball to the floor as it shocked him again. "At least with th' ice, I didn't get hurt, ya?" 

Yueh giggled. "The fire was worse, but you got that pretty quickly," she pointed out. 

"Dat coulda been a disaster, I s'pose," Hunter agreed, picking up the ball. "Okay, here goes." He concentrated hard and the ball let out one or two sparks before being engulfed in lightning and flying from Hunter's tanned hands. "OW! DAT HURTS!" 

"Incoming!" Yueh shouted, ducking to the floor. Hunter followed suit. Soon the whole room was in an uproar. 

"Runaway blitzball!" Gage shouted, jumping to the floor, his arm half-bandaged. Gauze and tape followed him closely. 

"Agh!" Niet hid behind her chair, narrowly missing the flying ball. It bounced from her chair and towards Mattian who, surprisingly, reacted quickly and batted it away with his katana. It was heading straight for Arashi. 

"Arashi—!" Yueh couldn't even get the word out before Arashi looked up calmly and spoke one word. 

"Yamete." 

The ball stopped mid-air and hovered inches from Arashi's face. Her hair was being blown back by an unseen force, as were her bed sheets. She stared at it for a moment, then reached her hand out towards it. 

Hunter blanched. "Wait—" 

"Null Shock." At these words, the ball fell to the bed, no longer sparking or doing anything. Arashi picked the ball up and tossed it back to Hunter. 

"Not so much electricity. That would hurt your friends and your foes. Control the sparks as it flies to your target. Infuse more lightning when it reaches the target rather then when you're holding it—you won't get yourself shocked that way." Arashi smiled, then laid back down on her bed like nothing had happened. The others sat still for a moment. 

Gage was the first to move. He picked up his things, and rearranged himself back on his own bed and went to finish his bandages. Mattian and Niet both gave wicked looks to the magic-practicing duo before settling back themselves. 

"Be quiet," they both said, not noticing that the other had said it as well. 

_Wow, they agreed on something_, Yueh noted amidst the shock. 

"Control the…?" 

"Y-yeah, actually, she's right." _Though I don't know how…she doesn't use black magic…_ Yueh brushed her bangs out of her eyes and picked up her mog doll. "If you use less magic on it in the beginning, you won't get hurt and—well—" She laughed, blushing. "Then that won't happen!" 

Hunter nodded vaguely and began to concentrate again. He didn't have time to follow through with magic, as just then the door had opened, with Cid standing there, looking his usual, grumpy self. 

"We'll be there in a day. We can get you to Mount Gagazet's peak, and you'll have to walk from there," he said. 

"Thanks for the update, Cid," Arashi said, still lying down. "We'll be in here mostly, but we'd appreciate being called for dinner and the like." Arashi gave a small glance at Niet before singing in Japanese again. 

"Right. Later." He did an about face and waltzed out of the room. 

Yueh sighed before restarting Hunter's lessons. _One more day until this mess is over…one more day…_ She looked at Hunter. His deep brown eyes were staring fixedly at the ball, trying to get it to light again. 

Another sigh. _Only one…more…day…_


	44. Goodbye Airship

**Sorry for the long, looooong wait, guys...::bows deeply:: I don't know what happened. The story's almost done, so...from here on out, its downhill. Thanks for sticking with me! ^_^ --Jedi Ari**

Tidus sighed, staring out through the blackness and the small, multi-colored sparkles that swirled around he and his new friend. He couldn't see too much save for a small window to the outside world, and hadn't talked to anyone else except for his friend and the new summoner for quite some time. 

Sighing again, he sat down next to Atrah and began tracing a finger on the ground. "How long has it been since Arashi came to visit?"

"A week, maybe," Atrah guessed, lying down to stare at the ceiling. "I wish she'd come back again…" 

"Hey, I haven't gotten to see Yuna for even longer," Tidus pointed out. After a moments silence, he sighed and flopped down on his back. "If she can ever see me." 

"Arashi told us what's going on, remember? She'll fix it," Atrah said. A small smile came to his face. "She always does, somehow. I can't see how she stays happy after all of this." 

"Yuna's the same way," Tidus agreed. "It must come with the job of being a summoner." 

Atrah shook his head. "How someone can stay happy knowing they're going to die is beyond me. If I were in their position—well, I wouldn't be. I couldn't kill myself." 

"Same here. We've been through this conversation a million times already, you know." 

This time, it was Atrah's turn to sigh. "What else is there to talk about?" 

Another silence. Tidus stood up and pulled out a blue and white ball from behind his back. "…Blitzball?"

*-*-*-*-*

Yunalesca was down at Mariana's feet, gasping for air. She looked up at the brunette summoner and let out another gasp. Electricity sparked between the summoner's fingertips. 

"You cannot…this has happened once, but fate and Yevon saw it fit for me to survive—you cannot—" 

"I can do what I damn well please, Yunalesca," Mariana said, slapping the woman across the face. She fell completely to the floor, her face hitting the tiling with a nasty thud. "You have brought this lie and this false hope just as Yevon has. Even I was taken in by it, by knowing that I could take the power that is Sin and make it my own." 

"It wasn't a lie…it's the truth, the only hope of Spira." Yunalesca coughed, blood and pyreflies coming up with it. "If you kill me, the hope of Spira—" 

"Save it," Mariana said. She looked over her shoulder and jerked her head forwards, gesturing Genki forward. "He's one of the two people who helped me see this…two—no, three people." Genki's new boots clicked against the tile as he stepped up to his wife and Yunalesca. "This is my husband, Genki. He is one of the three." 

Yunalesca's eyes widened. "So, you too have a lover! Certainly, then, you know how it feels to sacrifice one's love for the good of the people. Why can't you—" 

"Shut up." She took Genki's hand and, both glaring at Yunalesca, began to sing the hymn of the Fayth. 

"No…no, you cannot, you cannot…" Her outstretched hand began to change into pyreflies right in front of her. "Please, no…" They continued the hymn, only louder. Yunalesca began sobbing hysterically. "No…no!" Her final cry echoed as she disappeared, once and for all. 

Mariana let go of Genki's hand, smiling. "We've finished her off. She's gone." 

"So you weren't going to sacrifice yourself after all," Genki said quietly, looking at his wife with loving brown eyes. "You never were." 

"Yes, I was, before," Mariana admitted, turning away from him. "Before all of you came into my life…Yueh set everything into motion." 

Genki paused before walking up next to Mariana. "So, this was all fate caused by that girl back at Bevelle?" 

"Fate does what fate wills," Mariana agreed. "And she willed it that some odd event like this would bring these two worlds together, and that it would be caused by two people…a girl and her male counterpart." 

"Male counterpart?" 

"Each girl has their counterpart. Yueh has Hunter, Niet has Mattian, and Arashi has the boy within Sin, Atrah." She began to pace slowly. "The only one without his opposite is the tall boy, Gage." 

"How do you know all this? Did you meet them when I was asleep?" Genki asked quickly. 

"I've never met them," Mariana said, "but have heard of them, in dreams…" _Arashi has told me about them, once or twice, in that one dream…just a day ago…_

"In dreams?" No response. "So, on towards Sin?" 

"No, we wait here, atop of the Zanarkand ruins, for them to call it," she said, seating herself calmly. "They know how to bring it here…so we wait." 

Genki bit his lip. "We wait?" 

A small, firm nod. "We wait." 

He stood there for a moment, thinking. He was utterly confused amidst being very happy that his and his wife's lives were not going to end prematurely. However, this just led to more confusion: how did Mariana talk to the other summoner otherwise? Was the "in dreams" a clue? Or was Mariana just being…herself? 

Genki sighed and resigned himself to sitting next to Mariana. 

"We wait."

*-*-*-*-*

"Arashi! We're here!" Yueh shook the summoner by the shoulders. She had, of course, fallen asleep, and had been asleep for about 12 hours—almost twice as long as the rest of the group had slept. "Arashi! Cid says we've gotta go, now!" 

"I swear she does this on purpose," Niet remarked, pulling Arashi out of the bed by an arm. Yueh grabbed her other arm and the two hauled her off of the bed and stood her up on the floor. 

"Let her stand up on her own, now," Yueh said, slowly letting go of Arashi's arm. Niet did the same, only to have the summoner begin to slump to the floor. The girls quickly grabbed her again and pulled her up. Sighing, Yueh said, "Time for the thing that always works…" She motioned for Niet to let go and cast a lightning spell just as she herself let go of Arashi. 

Arashi's gray eyes opened wide as the lightning went through her. She jumped up and yelled, "OUCH!" Her hair then proceeded to stand completely on end, creating a sphere with a diameter of about two feet around her head. It was of course at this time that the guys had decided to walk back in to check on Yueh and Niet's progress. 

There was a small, small silence before the room broke out in loud laughter (except for Arashi, who didn't find it funny at all). She was rubbing her rear end with a mean look on her face. 

"That…hurts." Arashi used a bit of white magic to ease the pain before adjusting her glasses. "Anyway…you were saying?" 

"Cid says we have to leave, ASAP," Yueh said again. Arashi nodded. 

"Where are we exactly?" 

"At the exit of Mount Gagazet," Gage said, trying to lead the group out of the room. "It'll take less than a day to get to the inside of Zanarkand." 

"Right." Arashi went ahead of Gage and began to lead the group to the upper deck of the ship. "We'll fight Sin and do my…plan there." 

"But…Sin's wherever he wants to be. How're we going to bring it here?" Niet asked. 

"Simple. Sing a song," Arashi said. 

"But Sin isn't Jecht anymore," Mattian pointed out. He stood taller, still in his effort to be like Auron. "What song will you use to call him?" 

Arashi grinned, which made Yueh all the more worried. "You'll see." Before anyone could ask any more questions, Arashi had already gone off on another tangent. "Anyway, when I talked to Cid earlier, he said he could go in low enough to at least avoid another parachute jump landing." 

Niet gave a sigh of relief, to which Mattian responded with a snort. The girl gave him a glare before asking Arashi, "So how are we going to get off this thing, then?" 

"Simple. We slide down." 

Hunter's eyes widened, a smile spreading on his face. "Ya mean, like when Tidus and everyone slid down to crash Yuna's weddin', ya?" 

Arashi smiled again. "Exactly. Only, a bit more safely." She took a right turn as she continued talking. "We'll use pieces of chain and cloth to slide down the metal rope without burning through the soles of our shoes." She looked at Yueh. "Or sandals. Not to mention, I'm a complete klutz who can barely keep her balance on solid ground, much less a taut metal wire." At this, Yueh simply blinked. _Arashi's ever-changing mood…_

"Took you long enough," Cid said gruffly, popping out from around one of the corners. "C'mon, the wires are ready. The chains are on deck already." 

"Right." Arashi gestured for the rest of the group to follow, although they didn't need it. Quite soon, they were on the outer deck, where each of them grabbed a piece of chain with cloth at both ends. Yueh looked down over the side of the airship and gulped. This time, there weren't any trees to save them if they fell off course—or off the wire itself, rather. 

"Are you sure this is a smart idea?" Yueh asked, tapping Arashi on the shoulder. "I mean…" 

"Aren't we gonna get hit by sparks?" Gage asked, glancing from the wire to the chain in his hands. "The metal against metal friction is going to create mass electricity?" 

Arashi simply waved her hand at Gage without looking. "I'll cast NulShock on all of us before we descend. It'll be fine." 

Yueh swallowed hard again. Somehow, she didn't think so. _One of those feelings, I guess._

"All right!" Cid shouted. "I'll go back in. Once the wires shoot into the mountain, you've got about a minute to get all the way down the line and to the base of Mount Gagazet." He gave the group a short nod. "Good luck." 

As Cid left, Niet began to pace nervously, her eyes on the metallic outside of the airship beneath her feet. Arashi gave her a friendly pat on the back to try and make her feel better before casting a group version of NulShock on everyone. 

"Here we go! Hang on, everybody!" Cid's voice came over the speakers. "We're firing the rockets in three…two…one…" 

The airship lurched horribly, knocking Niet off of her feet and sending her sliding dangerously close to the edge of the ship. Arashi leaped out and pulled Niet back up, Gage and Hunter making sure that she herself didn't lose her footing. 

"I told ya to hold on, now didn't I? Hurry up and get outta here! And good luck!" came Cid's voice once more. Arashi nodded and gestured to Mattian with her free hand.

"You go first. Then Niet, then Gage, Hunter, Yueh, and I," Arashi explained. Before anyone could ask further questions, Arashi shouted, "Go! Go! GO!!!" 

Mattian adjusted himself on the edge of the airship, tossed the chain over the wire, grasped the other end firmly and threw himself over the side. 

"Yeeeeehah!" 

Niet, shivering (and not from the cold air), sat down just like Mattian had and carefully put the chain around the wire. Swallowing and shifting slightly, she closed her eyes and slid off the edge, whimpering loudly. 

Gage and Hunter did much the same as Mattian, sliding down the line without incident. Yueh's turn came, and she breathed in deeply before sitting down on the edge. She wrapped the chain around the metal wire and took another deep breath. 

Immediately before she hopped off of the edge, Arashi kneeled down and whispered in her ear: 

"It's almost over, Yueh. Just a few more hours, and everything will be set right again." 

Yueh blinked and nodded, confused. _Set right…how can we ever set this right again?_ With that in her mind, she skidded off of the airship and began sliding down the wire through the air. 

Yueh quite quickly forgot Arashi's words and held on tight to the cloth on the chain, whooping wildly and smiling. The wind was whipping through her hair at high speeds, and it felt wonderful, absolutely indescribable. To be honest, it felt almost like flying… 

There was a quick tug on the wire, which Yueh could only guess was Arashi hopping on the wire herself. _At least everyone got on the thing okay…now for the getting off part._

Suddenly, there was a loud scream from the front of the line. Yueh watched in horror as Niet's grip slipped on her chain and she fell from the sky with increasing speed. 

_I didn't mean getting off like _that_!_ "Arashi—Niet's falling!" 

"HELP!!"


	45. Secrets Hidden

**Finally, ne? A new chapter! Sorry it took so long, guys, really--first I got this horrid icky flu (possibly the actual INFLUENZA--double eeks!) and just this past Tuesday, I threw out my back somehow. Long story, that. I went to the ER the next day and have been hurting ever since. Peh. Anyway, here's the chapter! I'll try to hurry as much as I can with the next one! --Jedi Ari**

"Niet!" Mattian shouted. Yueh watched confused as Mattian shifted his weight to hold on to the chain one handed, as if he was trying to grab Niet no matter how far away she was. 

"So you _do_ like her!" Gage yelled back to him. Mattian blushed madly and shouted Niet's name once more. 

"Arashi, do somethin', ya?!" Hunter shouted.

"Hai yo!" Arashi said. She hung on to the chain with one hand (much like Mattian) and grabbed her belt from her waist. She wiggled it gently beneath her, muttering something under her breath. Arashi finally ended with, "Kite kudasai yo!"

One blinding flash of white light later, the white mare Tsuki came flying down and swooped underneath Arashi, who shook her head.

"Kare! Onegai shimasu!" Arashi said, pointing way down the line to Mattian. The mare nodded and flew to the front of the group and maintained her position underneath Mattian. "Mattian! Let go, Tsuki will catch you and get Niet!"

Yueh watched as Mattian blanched. He began to stutter.

"Do it!" Yueh finally screamed at him. He gulped and nodded before releasing his final grip on the chain and dropping onto Tsuki's back. Tsuki whinnied and flew after the steadily dropping Niet.

"Ganbatte!" Arashi shouted.

"Will they be okay?" Yueh asked, looking back at Arashi. She nodded as she put the belt back around her waist.

"Tsuki flies quite quickly. She'll catch Niet and meet us at the bottom," Arashi replied. Yueh bit her lip and hoped Arashi was right, watching as Tsuki and Mattian got smaller, as did Niet. They had to be nearly touching the ground right now…

"Yatta!" Arashi shouted suddenly. Tsuki and Mattian had reached Niet in time, and she was now sitting, albeit slumped, right behind Mattian. He waved up to the group, giving a thumbs up as Tsuki went to land.

"Great! Now we just have to land!" Gage shouted, readjusting his grip. Yueh did the same, now looking at the rising peaks of Mount Gagazet. They were coming ever closer, and rather quickly at that.

"Arashi? How are we supposed to slow down so we down crash into the mountain?" the black mage asked, glancing back and forth between the summoner and the mountain.

"Good question, ya?" Hunter agreed.

"Simple. You'll see when we get there," she replied simply, closing her eyes. Yueh swallowed. _We'll see…that's great…_ As was her apparent custom now, she began singing softly in Japanese. 

"Arashi…" The peaks seemed barely a football field away. "Arashi, we're kinda getting a little close…" 

"Arashi!" Gage screamed. "Do something now or we're all gonna die!"

Her singing increased in volume, until it sounded like it came from all around them, off of the clouds and the mountains. At one point, Yueh was sure that there was more than one person singing. It was like Arashi was harmonizing with herself.

That was when the sparkles came. Bright blue in color, they filled the air around Yueh, Gage, Hunter, and Arashi. The singing continued to become louder as the group began to slow down.

Not quickly enough for Yueh's tastes, however. The mountains were still coming up at a rapid rate. "Arashi, faster—I mean, slower, but quickly—agh! You know what I mean! Just do it!"

"Haiiiii," she sang, still in the tune and still coming from a million directions around the group. They began to slow down even more so, until they were going only about 15 miles an hour. They finally came to a stop, each person hitting the base of the mountain with their feet before letting go and hopping to the ground. Once Arashi had touched the ground, the four went over to see Mattian and Niet.

Mattian was on the ground next to Niet, holding up her head in one hand. Yueh gulped again. It didn't look good for Niet.

"She's breathing, but other than that…" Mattian sighed and let Arashi take over. "She's not moving, and I don't know why." He stood up and patted Tsuki on the neck. "She'd be dead though, if Tsuki hadn't helped. Thanks…" He looked around the group. "But…Niet doesn't hear any of this, all right? I'm…"

"Mattian's got a crush, ya?!" Hunter shouted, laughing and nudging Mattian in the shoulder. "He likes Niet! Who woulda guessed dat one?" He laughed harder, doubling over.

"It won't mean anything unless she wakes up," Gage pointed out.

"She will," Arashi said. She pulled out a small pouch from her backpack and took from that a small vial. She uncorked it and held it over Niet's nose.

Niet blinked slowly, wrinkling her nose and cracking her neck. She sat up straight and looked around at everyone.

"…where's the food?"

Nearly everyone groaned, and Yueh rolled her eyes. "Niet and her food…"

"No dice, Niet," Arashi said, waving the vial in her face. "Smelling salts." Niet fell backwards and grunted.

"Mean trick." She looked up at Arashi from the ground. "…what happened?"

Mattian suddenly looked panicked and walked away from the group, mumbling under his breath. Niet shot him a look as Yueh and Arashi tried to keep down giggles. "Well?"

"You lost your grip. Arashi had to call Tsuki to save you," Gage said, helping Niet up.

"Speaking of which…" Arashi herself stood up and patted Tsuki's mane. "You can go now. Thanks again!" 

Tsuki neighed and gave a small bow before returning to wherever it was she came from.

"Someone helped me." She looked around at the group, almost suspiciously. "Who caught me?" Everyone was quiet, which made Niet furious. Her cheeks quickly became red. "Who caught me?"

"I did," Mattian said from the back of the group. Niet looked up at him with an odd look on her face. Her face quickly paled. "I caught you on Tsuki…"

Yueh shook her head and whispered to Arashi, "But I thought he wasn't going to tell?" Arashi held up a finger and shushed Yueh.

"Wait for it…"

Mattian's face turned into a sneer. "No one else wanted to catch your sorry butt. I was left to do the job."

Niet became infuriated once more. "You…!" She jumped up like a lightning bolt and began chasing Mattian across the landscape. "Jerk! You…you…_baka_!!!"

Yueh let out a small snort as Arashi stood up and brushed off her skirt. "Told you to wait for it."

Hunter was laughing like crazy, but Gage just shook his head. "Just when you think he shows a sign of maturity…I don't think he'll ever grow up." His eyes turned to Hunter, who was almost on the ground with his laughter. Gage rolled his eyes. "Neither will you, apparently."

"Well! Once Niet and Mattian stretch out their legs, we'll head to Zanarkand," Arashi pronounced. She pulled a blanket out of her backpack and promptly sat back down.

"Stretch out their legs," Gage scoffed, watching the pair run around. "Gouge each other's eyes out is more like it." Hunter continued to laugh, slapping a hand on his thigh.

"Dat was priceless, ya? Hilarious!" he said, breathless. Yueh couldn't help but giggle; Hunter's mood was rather contagious. "Sayin' he was d'only one left…awesome!" Gage simply shook his head and wandered off, apparently trying to find some silence or peace of mind.

As Arashi was now lying down on the blanket, Yueh couldn't see much to do but wait. She looked over the mountain of Gagazet and to Zanarkand beyond. She unconsciously wandered towards it, giving a small sigh.

"Dat was great, eh, Yueh? Yueh?" Hunter whirled around and saw the mage staring off into the distance. He stopped laughing and stepped up behind her. "Yueh? Hey, what's wrong?"

Yueh shook her head and tried to smile. "Its nothing, really. Just…thinking."

"Thinking, ya? You look like you're doin' more den dat." Hunter looked at the mountains, pausing. "Kinda like lookin' into d'future, ya? Not knowin' what's gonna happen next, who we're goin' t'meet up with next…"

"Or if we're even going to survive." Yueh's faux smile faded quickly and she walked closer to the mountain side, leaning up against it. "Its my fault this whole world even got like this…so if we can't fix it…"

"We'll fix it, ya? We hafta." Hunter shrugged and leaned up next to Yueh. "Besides, its not totally your fault…I did part of it too, ya? Lulu even said so. We called d'aeons at th' same time…I got part of it on me, too." He slid down the rock face and onto the ground. His eyes stared at the ground. "Makes y'feel kinda…kinda bad, doesn't it?"

Yueh let out a small snort and sat down next to the brown-haired young man. "No kidding. I've been…all along, it's been…" She let out a long breath and shook her head. "All along I thought it was all me, all my fault. To know…to know someone else had a part in it, that someone else is in your position is kind of…kind of…"

"Nice?" Hunter finished. Yueh smirked and nodded. Nodding along with her, he said, "I know what y'mean. We're not alone, ya?"

Yueh gave an honest smile this time. Blushing, she reached out her hand and took Hunter's in hers. He looked up at her suddenly, his own face turning red.

"We're not alone…not anymore." Hunter returned the smile after a moment, having trouble looking Yueh in the eyes. She giggled, which made Hunter a bit more at ease.

"Lovebirds, let's get a move on!" Gage shouted over. Both of them blushed and got up.

"Are Niet and Mattian done yet?" Yueh asked. 

Gage held up two fighting figures—Niet in his left hand and Mattian in his right. 

"They're done now," Gage said, grinning. 

Niet stopped struggling and pouted, while just out of her view, Mattian relaxed and let out a sigh.

"Guess his secret is safe for now, huh?" Yueh whispered in Hunter's ear. He nodded, laughing lightly.

"Arashi's all packed up and heading up the path," Gage said, turning around and dragging Niet and Mattian with him. "We should reach the ruins of Zanarkand soon—"

"What about dinner?" Niet asked, struggling again. 

Gage kept her within his grasp. "We'll eat once we enter the ruins, hobbit girl."

"I'm no hobbit—I'm an elf!"

"Well, you eat like one…" Gage trailed off as he headed up the pathway.

"Minna-san, hayaku ikimashou!" Arashi yelled from farther up. Yueh jogged forward, only to be stopped by Hunter holding her back.

She turned around and looked at him questioningly. "What is it?"

Hunter's face was turning red. "Yueh, ah, when we…when we…"

"…yes?"

"When we reach Zanarkand, and we have to beat Sin…" He swallowed and closed his eyes. "I'll…I'll protect you, ya? I'll…keep you safe." Opening his eyes, he smiled nervously. "I'll make sure no sinspawn get ya, ya?"

Yueh's face became hot, and her grip on Hunter's hand tightened. "Th-thanks—"

"Yueh! Hunter! Hayaku!" Arashi shouted, even farther ahead this time. 

"C'mon, let's go, ya?" Hunter suggested, running forward. Yueh grinned and followed his lead.

"Yeah…"

"Quit being lovey-dovey and get a move on!" Mattian shouted, quite back to his normal self.

"Shut up, you! You're slower than both of them, you just had a head start!" Niet said, sticking her tongue out at him. Mattian saw this and went into his fake rage mode again, chasing Niet past Arashi up the way. Maybe she imagined it, but Yueh could have sworn she saw a small smile grow on Mattian's face as he ran after Niet.

_Who would have thought—Mattian likes Niet…_ Yueh laughed inside her head. _Then again, who would have thought all of this would happen? Sin, Spira, magic, and aeons… _

_Its finally coming to an end…its not much longer from here, is it?_

She smiled, her brown eyes staring at Hunter, who was still pulling her along.

_It isn't…and I have him to help me. _Her eyes stared forward at the rest of the group: Gage shaking his head at Mattian and Niet, the latter two chasing each other up the mountainside, and Arashi walking like Radical Edward from Cowboy Bebop, singing to herself.

_I've had help all along…and I'll have it until the end._


	46. Last Camp

**'Allo! Long time no see, eh? Sorry about that, things have been hectic--as usual. Hope you like this chapter. The story's almost done, guys! Just a little bit longer! A few more chapters and we're done...wow...this has taken long, eh? ^_^ ;;;;; See ya guys around! --Jedi Ari**

Genki quietly munched on some dry bread as Mariana sat like she was meditating. It had been at least a day since they had defeated Yunalesca, and all they had been doing was sitting on the highest platform of what had been Yunalesca's lair and either sleeping or eating. Neither of them had spoken since the death of the already dead woman, and, quite honestly, it was driving Genki nuts. His wife had been nice and fine when they got here, albeit a bit vague about her goal, but now was smiling and silent. She tended to go through spurts like that—spurts that lasted for even hours at a time at the very least. Sometimes he wondered if she didn't have multiple personalities. 

He finally spoke up. "Mariana…they haven't come yet." 

"I know. They'll be here tomorrow, I believe," Mariana said without opening her eyes. "Their summoner is leading them ahead, but the others will want to rest once they reach the middle of the Zanarkand ruins." 

Genki sighed. "I think I've had enough rest for all of them combined." He leaned back on the hard ground and took another bite of the bread without another word. 

Sometimes, silence was the best thing. At least then Mariana didn't confuse him.

*-*-*-*-*

"Catch this!" The white and blue ball went hurtling towards the other boy's face. 

"Whoa!" A quick jump and the ball went flying back at the sender. 

"Oh yeah? Can you do this?!" Tidus did a back flip into the air to send the blitzball flying into the air way above Atrah's head. 

"Easy!" Atrah jumped up high enough to catch the ball with his hand and kick it around like a soccer ball on his head and knees. He kicked it high and copied Tidus's previous move. Tidus caught the ball as Atrah laughed. "Too easy." 

"Man! You should play blitzball professionally!" Tidus commented, holding the ball under his arm. 

Atrah shrugged. "Blitzball domes don't exist where I live. I'd play if they did have 'em." He stretched out his arms behind his head. "Best sport we have here is soccer—you should try it, it's a bit like Blitzball, with the goals and stuff, but its on land." 

Tidus took the ball and began bouncing it on his head as he talked. "Sounds neat, but nothin' beats Blitzball." The two were silent for a moment before the blond boy spoke again. "Do you think they'll be here soon?" 

"Knowing Arashi the way I do…" Atrah cracked his knuckles and peered out the small "window" of view into the world of earth-Spira. "She'll be here soon, but just in time." He pointed at the window. "Right now, we're kinda hovering above the land." 

"Huh?" Tidus peeked out the window. "Weird." 

Atrah sighed and sat back down on the ground. "I hope they get here soon." 

Tidus nodded. "Yeah. This is boring." 

Atrah rolled his eyes, but said nothing. "Yeah. Boring."

*-*-*-*-*

Yueh and Hunter had been given the task of setting up tents for the night. The guys had two tents, as did the girls, so it was decided that Arashi got her own tent, Niet and Yueh would share another tent, Hunter and Mattian would share yet another, and Gage would get his own tent as well. Unfortunately, night was quickly falling and as of yet they only had two of the aforementioned tents up and ready for use. 

Arashi was leaning out of one of the tents, lying down and propped up on her elbows. She was staring at the fire and humming a lilting tune to herself as Niet plopped down and began cooking over the fire. Mattian was sitting a small ways away, watching Niet as she prepared their dinner. 

"Here's the veggies from the ship, Niet," Gage said, dropping a basket next to Niet. "Carrots, potatoes, and…what are these things?" Gage picked up an odd-shaped green blob of a vegetable by its stem. "Is it a pepper or something?" 

"It's an Al Bhed vegetable that's kinda like a pepper, but with a sweet tang to it," Niet explained, beginning to chop it up and put in into the boiling water in front of her. "Yummy." 

"It's actually an Al Bhed delicacy," Mattian piped up. Niet and Gage turned to look at him. 

"Yeah…it is," Niet agreed, blinking slowly. The corner of Mattian's lips turned up slightly. Niet shrugged and turned back to the fire. "That's why I'm surprised they gave us so many." She continued adding them to the pot as Mattian let out a full smile. Gage shook his head and sat down next to Arashi, in front of her tent. 

"Oi, you two! You almost done with those tents? It's gonna get cold soon!" Gage shouted to Yueh and Hunter. 

"We know! It'd be easier with a bit of help, ya know!" Yueh yelled back. She let out a long breath. "Just because Niet can't do it doesn't mean they can't help…" 

"Ah, don' worry 'bout it, ya? We'll get it done in no time!" Hunter said, holding up one of the poles. "Now, just pull dat thing over—agh!" The cloth cover of the tent whipped back from Yueh's hands, past the poles, and all the way back to the ground. The movement surprised Hunter, who then dropped the pole to the ground, leaving a pile of poles and cloth on the dirt in front of the pair. The two sighed and picked the materials back up to try again. 

"I'll do it!" Arashi sprang up and ran to the building duo. "Lemme!" 

"Uh, Arashi, I don't think—" Yueh began, but to no avail. Arashi had grabbed the materials from both of their hands and tossed them up in the air. 

"Dat's not gonna help," Hunter mumbled to Yueh. 

"Ue ue ue! Hup hup hup!" Arashi shouted. Yueh and Hunter's eyes widened as the cloth and the wooden poles began to fly around in the air like butterflies and bees, almost swimming in the air. Arashi began twirling around, gathering the attention of the rest of the campers. 

"How in the heck…?" Niet's mouth gaped open. 

"Around and around!" Arashi sang. The poles swam around, closer and closer to the ground, until they finally hit and stuck into the earth. "Up and down! Around and DOWN!" The cloth came down quickly like a parachute and slid itself over the poles neatly, coming to rest in the shape of a tent. "Ta da! Easy!" She twirled around once more and hopped back into her tent, her blond hair flying behind her as she laid back down just inside of her tent. Quite quickly, Arashi was back to staring at the fire, humming. 

The rest of the travelers were still watching the tent with awe. Slowly, Yueh turned around and said, "Arashi…how did you do that?" 

"Easy!" she repeated. She pulled out her belt and pointed to the charm. "Remember, these give us more powers than just from Final Fantasy, silly." Smiling, she threw the belt behind her and began watching the fire once more. 

"That…I forgot," Yueh muttered, clasping a hand around her necklace charm. The others did much the same. 

"Telekinetic powers, magical powers, anything in any video game!" Arashi chanted, her gray eyes still trained on the fire. Her smile fell, and she became serious. Turning her gaze to the group, she said quietly, "You would do best not to forget that in the battle upcoming…" 

"Right," the rest agreed. Yueh shook her head a bit. _I can't believe I forgot about that…I guess it has been a while, though, hasn't it? So long ago since I had Pokemon here, or my Neopets…all I can remember is Sin dropping down from the sky…_

"So, does that mean I can get Legolas here?" Niet asked, holding out her wrist to stare at her charm. "He was in a video game, y'know." Mattian scowled and pushed his way through the group to sit at the fire. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Yueh warned. "Things are messed up enough as it is." 

"I wanna do it—" Niet began to close her eyes to cast the spell. 

"Don't say we didn't warn you!" Arashi sang, and she flung down her arm, white magic shooting down at Niet. It was, of course, the silence spell. Niet opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She looked around the group and gave a glare at Arashi, who said, "Don't do it—you could bring Sauron here, and things are bad enough as is, dear." A bit quieter, she said, "Lucky for someone…" 

Mattian shot her a quick look, but she dodged it by looking at the licking flames. Niet just frowned and went back to cooking the stew, leaving her dreams of meeting Legolas behind. Gage settled down next to her, cutting up some of the other vegetables and giving them to Niet to add to the stew. 

Hunter went back to staring at the tent that had just been set up amidst a whirlwind. "Dat was…" 

"Interesting. Yeah," Yueh agreed. She let her charm loose from her grasp and went to grab the other tent's poles. "S'pose we should put up the other tent…" 

"Can we do it her way?" Hunter asked. Yueh bit her lip. 

"I suppose we can try it, anyway…" Yueh closed her eyes and concentrated, like how she used to have to do her magic in the very beginning. Holding her hands out in front of her, she imagined the tent flying up into the air and getting into position. 

"It's workin', ya?!" Hunter shouted happily. Yueh opened one brown eye hesitantly, but quickly opened both when she saw the cloth and poles sailing high in the air. 

"I'm doing it—I can do it!" she yelled, laughing. "I can do it!" Hunter soon joined in, taking over control of the cloth and making it do somersaults in the air around the dancing poles. The two were laughing heartily, like two normal young teenagers with nothing to worry about—no Sin, no Aeons, nothing but a little fun underneath the falling sun. 

Arashi smiled and laid her head down on her arms, watching the flames leap up and around the pot. The laughter was wonderful on her ears—and on everyone else's, she bet. 

The next tent was soon set up and supper was almost done when Arashi finally crawled out of her tent and pulled her belt out from its place. Yueh, absorbed in a game of Tic-Tac-Toe in the sands with Hunter, didn't notice until she said, "Everyone, weapons out!" 

The whole group jumped to their feet, weapons at the ready, in battle positions. Mattian surveyed the area with a wary eye before standing up straight again and laying down his katana, saying, "There aren't any enemies here!" 

"No, which is why we're putting our weapons to rest," Arashi explained, stepping about ten feet away from the campsite. She held up her belt above the ground, letting the tip dangle in the dirt and rock. "We need rest, and so do they." 

Everyone nodded. 

"Right," Mattian agreed. He walked up next to Arashi and stuck his katana in the ground next to her. Giving the whole group a glance, he said with a smirk, "That way Niet can't hurt us by flailing around her rapier like she does in battle." 

"HEY!" Mattian ran away laughing as Niet gave chase, waving her rapier after him. "I'm a better fighter than you'll ever be!" 

Arashi shook her head and began to swing her belt around. "Yueh, if you wouldn't mind giving me a little…help?" 

Yueh smiled. "No problem. On three?" 

"'Kay. One…two…" 

"THREE!" 

A flash of electricity and white magic tailed the jogging duo and smacked them both in the back. Niet lost her rapier (in a bit of amazing luck, it landed right next to Mattian's katana, point in the sand) and fell forward onto Mattian, who lost his footing due to the new amount of weight on his back, and they both tumbled head over heels across the landscape, coming to a stop about twenty feet away from the campsite in the opposite direction. Mattian was flat on his back, and Niet was halfway on top of him, her arm thrown across his chest during the confusion. The two looked at each other for a moment, absolutely silent. 

"This should be interesting," Arashi murmured. Yueh silently agreed. 

Even after they both blushed, neither one of them moved from their position. Finally, Niet jumped up and began to scream—or, rather, what would have been screaming had Arashi not silenced her. 

Mattian began to yell back, but as he was silenced as well, couldn't speak a word. Arashi smiled. 

"Ah, back to normal! Now, then, everyone, weapons up here!" Arashi said. The rest, stifling laughter, nodded and set their weapons down next to Mattian's and Niet's: Gage his broadsword, Hunter his blitzball, and Yueh her flute and mog doll. Arashi finished it off by wrapping her belt around the swords so the end with the charm dangled off of the hilt of Gage's broadsword. 

Smiling, Arashi said, "Now…let's eat and get some rest. Forget about Sin for tonight. Tonight…just have fun." 

Yueh nodded, agreeing, but then glanced back at Niet and Mattian, who had already finished yelling at one another (seeing as it was rather pointless to yell and shout at someone when you couldn't actually talk). "You might want to unsilence them first, Arashi." 

Waving a hand, she said, "Okay, okay, but they have to play King's Corner with me." A wave of white sparkles flew around the duo who, as soon as they could speak, groaned. 

"What's King's Corner?" Niet asked hesitantly. 

"Probably some weird Japanese game that involves making a fool of yourself," Mattian said, standing up and brushing off the back of his pants. 

"No problem, then," Niet said, smirking. "You're always making a fool of yourself." 

"Why you—" Niet laughed as Mattian chased her once more. Yueh sighed, shaking her head, while Arashi giggled. 

"Just try and make your way to the campsite soon, okay?"

*-*-*-*-*

The stars twinkled in the dark sky, but inside the tent, Yueh couldn't see anything except for Niet's feet in her face. Sighing, she sat upright and crawled out of the tent. 

She couldn't sleep. Yueh knew it wasn't because of Arashi's snoring this time, despite it being as loud as ever. Something inside of her just wasn't sitting right. Something was bugging her. 

_Probably Sin, huh?_ she thought to herself with a small snort. She stood up and walked around the campsite, following her wandering feet wherever they would take her. 

They took her to a small cliff, just beyond where the weapons were stuck in the ground. She sat herself down with her feet swinging off of the edge of the cliff. Wind blew her hair lightly, whipping it away from her face. 

"You can't sleep either, ya?" came a voice. 

Yueh didn't even jump. It was unmistakably Hunter. 

"Nope. Kind of hard to," she said quietly. Hunter laughed and sat down next to the mage. 

"Yeah, it is." He stared up at the sky. "Pretty, isn't it?" 

"Yeah…just like our sky," Yueh noted. She pointed up. "You can see Orion just there." Putting her hand down, she said, "Maybe that's why their night sky at Zanarkand looks so different than Spira's." 

"Y'mean, it's a hole t'earth?" Hunter suggested. 

"Maybe Zanarkand, Spira, and earth were all connected to begin with," Yueh went on, "And we just provided the final connection to bring them all together." Her eyes opened wide, and she shook her head. "Or maybe I'm just losing it." 

Hunter laughed loudly. "Ya, that could be it too, ya?" Yueh snorted and laughed as well. 

"Probably," Yueh said. "Its kind of nerve-wracking, waiting for the 'final battle,' I guess." 

"Y'think Arashi know's what she's doin'?" Hunter asked. 

"I honestly don't know, but she's never failed us yet," Yueh said, shrugging. "Not once has she steered us wrong." She giggled. "Which is quite amazing, considering how out of it she always seems to be." 

"We'll get out of it, ya?" Hunter said. His face turned red as he put a hand on one of hers. "You and I…make a good team, ya?" 

Yueh blushed, but returned the sentiment by embracing Hunter. "A great team…" 

Hunter threw his arms around Yueh, turning redder still. "Thanks, Yueh…" 

_A wonderful team…_


	47. Songs for Sin

**GOMEN NASAI MINNA-SAN!!!! GOMEN NASAIIIIII!!!! ::bows incessantly:: I'm soooo sorry that I haven't updated in so long. My senior year is being heck to me, as it is to most seniors, lol. Anyway, here's the update, and I'm almost done with the story--not to mention I have a sudden inspiration to write it for some reason. So, enjoy (hopefully) and if you feel like it, review. Those make me post more. ^_~;; Ja ne! --Jedi Ari**

"Okiiite!" Arashi screamed the next morning, ambushing everyone's tents. "Okite, okite, okite!! Time to wake uuup!" She toppled over onto her own empty tent, it collapsing underneath her weight. She continued yelling, "Wake up!" even as she lay there.

Yueh rubbed her eyes and sat up in her own halfway-collapsed tent. _Arashi must've fallen on it during her screaming_, she mused. Her brown eyes turned to Niet, still soundly asleep in the other sleeping bag. Yueh shot her with a mini-bolt of lightning, sending Niet straight up and out of the tent. 

"I'm up, I'm up!" 

Yueh let out a laugh, glad no one would ever do that to her, then stretched out and pulled herself out of the tent. Arashi was flailing on top of her own tent, smiling and still shouting. Gage was already up, shaking his head as he watched Arashi flop like a fish out of water. Hunter and Mattian were just dragging themselves out of their own tent. 

Mattian winced at the summoner's shouts. "Can you keep it down? I didn't get much sleep last night and I've got a killer head ache." 

"Ah ah ah!" Niet said, shaking a finger at him and grinning. "Auron wouldn't whine about being sleepy!" 

"That I would not," Auron's voice came from Arashi's belt, now back in its proper place. 

"Yeah, you're just always a grumpy-pants, no matter how much sleep you get!" Rikku's voice chimed in. Yueh's group laughed, while Auron simply let out a "hmph" from inside his jewel. 

"Hush, you two!" Arashi admonished, finally getting up. "We're going to see Sin today, and being grumpy is not an option!" She brushed off her skirt. "That includes Mr. Grumpy-pants himself." 

This time, Auron was silent, but Rikku could be heard giggling from the belt. Arashi simply smiled. 

"Anyway, we've gotta get going," Arashi said, a bit more serious. "To Yunalesca's lair. The deep ruins of Zanarkand." 

The group became silent. Yueh swallowed and bit her lip. _The final battle…_

"So, grab your weapons and bags, leave the tents." 

This simple statement caused an uproar. 

"Leave the tents?" 

"Why leave the tents?" 

"Dat's, like, a bad omen, ya?" 

"We need a place to sleep!" 

"When we get back," Arashi said quietly but firmly. "We'll use the tents when we get back." 

No one said the unspoken phrase, but Yueh was sure they all thought it. _If we get back._

"So!" Arashi said, clapping her hands together, "Grab your bags and weapons, and let's head out to kick some butt!" 

"Ya, dat's th' way!" Hunter cheered, pumping a fist. "Ya!" 

"Awright! Let's go!" Niet shouted, swinging her rapier around. In her excitement, she swung it near Mattian, who ducked just in time. A few pieces of hair got skimmed off the top of his skull. Yueh winced and waited for the backlash. 

Mattian reached out and grabbed Niet's rapier's handle. "Stop throwing that around. You nearly cut my head off!" 

"Maybe I should have," Niet retorted, sticking out her tongue. Mattian gritted his teeth and began muttering. 

"Why you…" 

"Ah, another chase," Arashi said rather happily as the always-bickering duo ran off. "At least they always seem to run in the right direction. Follow those two!" With that, Arashi ran off, laughing. 

Gage blinked before turning to his other two companions. "Oh, boy. C'mon, guys, we'd better book it if we wanna keep up." Gage took off, following the summoner. 

"I guess that means its time to go," Yueh said with a shrug. She went to follow, but Hunter grabbed her shoulder. She turned around to see Hunter blushing madly. "What?" 

"Um…" He quickly grabbed her hand and held it tight. "Now we can go." He ran forward and tugged on Yueh's arm. Blushing as well, she followed. 

She smiled. Maybe they'd win this battle after all.

*-*-*-*-*

"Oh Yunalesca! We're heeeeere!" Arashi sang. 

They had reached the vast chambers of Yunalesca after a long run. Everyone had his or her weapons out with the exception of Arashi, who was yelling throughout the echo-y chamber. Her belt was still in its place halfway around her waist as she shouted, "Yunalesca, come on! Don't you wanna fight?" 

"I don't think she's comin', ya?" Hunter said finally, holding his blitzball at his side. "If she was, she'd have kill'd us by now, ya?" 

"Maybe she's boding her time, trying to scare us," Gage suggested, shrugging. He put his sword point down into the ground and leaned on it. "Not that it's really working at the moment." 

Yueh bit her lip. She just wanted to get this over with, and quickly. Yueh walked around the chamber, a shot of lightning at the ready. She crept around the chamber, peeking around corners and columns. 

"I don't see anything," Niet said, sitting down. She yawned. "Boring." 

"Get up!" Mattian growled, pulling Niet up by the back of her tanktop. "You don't want to be taken by surprise, idiot!" 

"Why you—" 

"I'd suggest that both of you be quiet," Arashi said suddenly. All eyes were quite quickly upon her. 

"Why?" Yueh finally asked. 

"Because we have company of a different sort," she explained, pointing to a far reach of the chambers. Everyone turned to look in the farthest corner of the place, only to find two figures standing there: 

Mariana and Genki. 

"What're you doing here?" Niet shouted, her rapier at the ready. 

"We will fight you!" Yueh added, holding up her lightning encased hands. 

Mariana held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "I do not wish to fight. I've been waiting for you to arrive." Putting her hands back down, she smiled. "Arashi might know this. She spoke to me before." 

Hunter's brown eyes looked at Arashi, confused. "She did?" 

"Yes, I did speak to her before," Arashi said, stepping forward. "In dreams, we spoke. Although, I didn't expect her here, of all places. At least, not without having sacrificed herself for Sin." 

"I found out a few things on my way here," Mariana began, taking a hold of one of Genki's hands. "In doing so, I knew that sacrificing myself in the traditional way wouldn't help anyone at all. Instead, I helped you." She waved a hand at the empty chambers. "Yunalesca has been taken care of and sent. Its…its all clear for you." 

"…thanks," Yueh said, unsure. "I still don't quite trust you." 

"Understandable," Mariana said, nodding. "But go ahead and take care of Sin. I know you have a plan. Isn't that right, Arashi?" 

It was Arashi's turn to smile. "Yup. First, we gotta call him here." Pushing up her sleeves, she walked back towards the center of the room. "And I know just how to get him here." 

"Do I want to know?" Gage asked Niet under his breath. 

"Probably not." 

Yueh watched as Arashi grabbed her belt and began swinging it around, as if performing a sending. Music chords began to rise up throughout the chamber, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Blue and pink shining lights surrounded her, completely engulfing her for a moment. 

"What's happening?" Niet shouted. 

"I have no clue," Yueh replied, watching. 

The cloud of lights burst away, revealing Arashi in her normal outfit, only differently hued. Her shirt was now a beautiful, cherry blossom pink, and her skirt was white at the top, dissolving into a sky blue at the very bottom. Her belt was wrapped around her right forearm, the jewels sparkling in turn. 

"Here we go!" she shouted. A microphone appeared in her right hand. "Atrah's favorite songs, in no particular order! Starting with…" 

_**"Chikazukitai yo, kimi no risou ni, otonashiku nare nai—"**_

"You've got t'be kiddin' me, ya?" Hunter shouted incredulously. 

Yueh blinked. "Utada Hikaru's—" 

_**"Can you keep a secret?"**_

As the song's "hit it off like this, hit it off like this, oh baby" lines went off in the background, Arashi looked at Niet and Yueh with a conspiratorial look in her eyes. "C'mon guys…join in!" 

Niet put her hands out in front of her. "No way, I don't even know all the words!" 

"Same here!" Yueh said, stepping forward. "I know the melody, but Japanese—" 

The two were pulled forwards next to the summoner in a cloud of blue and pink smoke. Their clothes were changed much the same, Yueh with a pink tank top and darker pink armwarmers and blue khakis with pink cuffs, and Niet with her white tank top over a pink one, a blue armband, and matching pants with pink colored cuffs as well. They both had microphones appear in their hands. 

"Woo! Pop performance, ya?" Hunter shouted, pumping a fist happily. "Yeah!" 

"But—" 

Words in shifting blue and light pink appeared on the empty, dark chamber walls in front of the trio. A moogle-like apparition appeared atop the first syllable, ready to go. 

"Follow the bouncing moogle!" Arashi yelled out. 

_**"Koko kara zutto okutte'ru angou…**_

_**Kimi wa mada kaidoku dekitanai, come on!"**_

The ground began to rumble as the music picked up a bit. The guys, Mariana, and Genki went to catch their footing, but Arashi grinned and gave a quick glance to Yueh and Niet during the small break in music. 

**_"Tsutaeyo wo yame yo_**

**_Kono mama kakusou_**

**_Nigekirena kunaru made_**

**_Shinjiyou dame yo_**

**_Mada utagae sou da mono!"_**

"It's working!" Mattian shouted, shocked as the ground gave another hefty rumble. 

"Somehow, yes, it is," Gage agreed, finally falling to the ground, unable to keep his balance. He sighed and shook his head. "Somehow, it is." 

The trio of girls went on singing, all three finally getting into the whole deal of acting like a pop singer. They began dancing a bit as well, and were actually having quite a bit of fun with it all as they reached the chorus. 

_**"Chikazukitai yo kimi no risou ni**_

_**Otonashiku nare nai**_

_**Can you keep a secret?**_

_**Kanashikunai yo…"**_

*-*-*-*-*

Atrah and Tidus were playing blitzball (again) to try and pass the time, kicking it back and forth, each trying to catch the other off guard. Tidus was kicking it back to Atrah when the second boy stopped and ran to the window to the world. The ball bounced off the wall and back into an unsuspecting Tidus' stomach, throwing him to the ground. 

"Hey, what's up? You were supposed to catch it!" Atrah didn't respond, but instead pressed his ear to the window. "What're you doing?" 

"I hear something…" Atrah's ear was now flat against the glass, and he could hear the song faintly, but clearly. 

**_"Chikazukitai yo, kimi no risou ni…"_**

Leaning back, he grinned. "That's Arashi! That's gotta be her!" 

Tidus put his head to the window and listened. "How d'you know?" 

"Only she would sing a Japanese song to try and find me." Atrah began looking around their mini-prison within Sin. "She's calling us. She's figured something out and needs us. We've gotta get moving." He began pounding the walls, as if trying to find a hidden panel. "How'd we move this thing last time?" 

"I dunno!" Tidus said, copying Atrah. "Maybe if we—ack, I don't know!" 

Finally, Atrah just looked up at the ceiling and screamed, "Hey, Sin! Or whoever the heck you are! We wanna move, and we wanna find the person who's singing that music! Bring us there now!" He pounded against one of the walls to emphasize his point. "NOW!" 

"Yeah!" Tidus joined in, screaming loudly and rather high pitched. "Get movin', you big fat blob!" 

"Move it!" 

"Yeah!" 

"Let's get a move on—whoa!" 

Both were quickly thrown to the back of the "room" with incredible force. Atrah looked over to Tidus, grinning widely. 

"I think we're moving, huh?" he said, laughing. 

"No kidding!" Tidus replied. 

Atrah closed his eyes, still laughing. He could hear the music coming, getting ever closer with each passing second. 

"I'm coming, Arashi! I'm coming!"

*-*-*-*-*

"How much longer now?" Niet asked after the song was finished. 

"Well, I dare say we could use another tune!" Arashi said, giving a lop-sided grin to both girls. They returned it. 

"What did you have in mind?" Yueh asked, laughing. 

Techno music with a loud banjo melody began to play, increasing in volume as time passed. Niet snorted. 

"Yamerarenai? From Tenchi Muyo?" she asked. 

"But of course!" Arashi said, spinning around once. "He loves techno, and this one has lyrics!" 

"This is techno?" Gage asked from the back, a look of disbelief set on his face. 

"Yup!" The ground began to shake even more, which made Arashi smile even wider. "He's getting closer! Here we go!" 

**_"Yamerarenai, yamerarenai,_**

**_Yamerarenai, yamerarenai_**

**_Asane yokukashi hirune_**

**_Yamerarenai, yamerarenai,_**

**_Yamerarenai, yamerarenai_**

**_Tsumamigui yashoku ochazuke!"_**

Suddenly, the top of the chambers burst open, and the ceiling began to fall down around the singers—and everyone else. The music cut out and the singers outfits went back to their normal hues as everyone scattered to the far corners of the room. 

"Everyone! Surround a magic user!" Yueh shouted, trying to take charge. 

Arashi nodded in agreeance, getting what Yueh was planning on doing. "Mages, cast Shell and Protect ASAP! Even if you don't know the white magic spell, just try!" Arashi jumped into a corner with Mattian and Niet, while Yueh, Gage, and Hunter huddled together in another corner. Genki and Mariana remained in their place, as they were next to each other to begin with. 

"Mages! On the count of three!" Yueh shouted over the deafening roar of the chamber. "One! Two! THREE!" 

Three spells of Shell and Protect went off simultaneously, sending rings of white magic echoing throughout what was left of the ceiling and walls of the room. The falling ceiling stones bounced harmlessly off of the Shells, clattering to the floor next to them. 

Once the shaking stopped, Yueh dared to look up at the now open-top chamber. She swallowed hard and struggled to keep her eyes open. 

Sin was there in front of her, looking down upon all of them.


	48. We Meet Again

So sorry! SOOOOO sorry! Getting mono made me write less and miss a bunch of school, so then there was the make-up work, and...oi. Anyway, we're almost done. The last chapter will be number 50, with an epilogue afterwards as well. V So, here's the next chapter! Whee! --Jedi Ari

It was huge, to say the least, and very, very ugly. She couldn't quite remember what the Sin from the original FFX looked like, but she was quite sure that it wasn't like this.

Tall and hunched over, it looked like what scientists would call some sort of missing link in evolution. Its skin was mottled dark blue and gray, with large, bulging black eyes and a huge fin on its back. It had thick, short flippers, much like a stumpy sea turtle, as well, with a pair of legs jutting from somewhere on its rear half. Scars and discolored blotches covered a good majority of its body, with one particularly odd-looking chunk taken out of its front chest. 

"Ew!" Niet said, summing up the monster rather simply. 

"That's part of my boyfriend you're talking about there, Niet! Watch it!" Arashi warned. Niet laughed nervously.

"Doesn't look much like him right now, does he?" 

"I realize that. We have to get him out first," Arashi said, unwrapping the belt from around her forearm. "And for that, we need a little help from the first and still the best!" 

Sin roared above them, becoming impatient and thirsty for blood. Mattian looked at Arashi, frantic. 

"Any time now would be nice!" 

Niet promptly thwapped Mattian on the back of the head, exclaiming, "She's working on it, dummy!" 

"Why you—" 

"Not now!" Yueh shouted from across the broken chamber. The two ceased fighting, but continued the nasty looks they were giving one another. She shook her head and looked back at Arashi. "Those two, I swear…" 

Yueh watched as Arashi began to dance. She swung her arms around in graceful motions, and above all the noise, the roaring and the cracking of the ceiling, a chorus of people could be heard singing. The louder it got, the clearer the song was. 

"The hymn of the fayth!" Genki shouted in amazement. "She's…somehow, she's…!" 

Mariana, her sharp eyes still on Arashi, placed a hand on Genki's shoulder. "I know, love. I know." 

_What is she doing?_ Yueh couldn't figure it out. Arashi went on dancing, twirling her arms. As her belt swung around, the jewels let out long trails of light, making her look rather like the classic picture of a molecule in chemistry class. The chorus of voices got louder and louder, increasing in volume until it completely covered all other noises. 

Finally, Arashi stopped, the singing ceased, and the jewels disappeared fully. Arashi held the belt up for another moment before falling to her knees and letting her arms drop. 

"I did it…" Yueh ran up to the summoner, despite her close proximity to Sin, and pulled Arashi to her feet. "I did it…!" she mumbled again. 

Yueh dragged Arashi back, and the travelers all gathered around the blond, who was smiling. 

"I did it!" she exclaimed, giggling a bit. 

"Did _what_?" Mattian asked, looking around. Yueh did the same, and her eyes fell on six familiar figures standing in the entrance to the chamber. 

"Did _that_," Yueh said, pointing with a free hand to the chamber's door. The rest of the group turned to stare at the entrance, which was filled with living, breathing, non-apparition versions of Auron, Rikku, Lulu, Wakka, Kimahri, and Yuna, the last standing in front of all of them, holding her summoning rod at her side. 

"I had hoped we would be able to meet in this form," she said, giving a small smile before bowing. 

"They're—they're—" 

"Alive?" Niet asked, stepping closer to the group from FFX. Rikku crept closer to Niet, and the two began to size each other up, finally ending the interesting greeting by poking each other in the nose before cheering. 

"They're…alive!" 

"We're alive!" 

"We're alive in this realm, yes. No longer mere spirits or part of the Farplane," Auron said, stepping forward. He stopped in front of Arashi, who was still halfway bent over, and went down on one knee. "Myself included. I am in your debt, Lady Arashi." He stood up and gave her a small look. "However, I would like my glasses back now." 

Arashi nodded and obliged Auron's request, taking the glasses from her face and handing them over to Auron, who promptly put them on his own face. 

"You guys know what to do, right?" she asked, glancing at each "original" group member in return. 

"I told them your plan, Arashi, and we're ready," Yuna answered for them. 

Arashi nodded. "Unfortunately, I forgot to explain my plan to them." 

Sin gave a loud cry, causing the blond to add, "And it seems I have very little time to explain it to them." 

"Good going, Arashi," Mattian mumbled. Niet trotted over and bonked him on the head. 

"Shuddup. We need all the time we can get." 

"We'll hold Sin back, Arashi," Lulu said, walking past her. "You can use the time to explain your plan quickly." 

"Woo! Time t'kick some Sin tail, ya?!" Wakka said, running forward, blitzball in hand. "We got your back, Arashi!" 

Auron merely shook his head. "Please hurry, Lady Arashi." 

As the FFX group ran off to stop any advance from Sin, the others grouped around Arashi, who began to frantically explain her 'grand idea.' 

"We need to channel all of our energy to open a sort of 'rip' into Sin's main, um, whatchamacallit…" 

"Stomach?" Hunter suggested. 

Arashi scrunched her face. "Sort of…except they aren't being digested. Anyhoo, we need to get the spirits of Atrah and Tidus out so we can bring their energy back to this realm, like Auron said before." 

"So, Auron's alive now?" Yueh asked hesitantly. 

Arashi smiled and nodded. "I thought it a just gift for letting him use my glasses for so long." 

"You mean he was _dead_!?!" Niet shouted, her eyes wide. Mattian winced, but didn't say anything. 

Gage rolled his eyes. "Yes, he was. Continue, please?" 

"Yeah. Now, to release their energy, we need to use ours. In other words, we need to use our gems and all of our magic power and skill to unleash their spirits into this world and bring their bodies back to us," Arashi explained quickly. Yueh could see the worry in the summoner's blue-gray eyes—she was obviously worried about getting Atrah back safely. _Then again, who wouldn't be worried about their boyfriend…?_

Niet must have noticed, for she put a reassuring hand on Arashi's shoulder and said, "It'll work, Arashi, I'm sure of it! I mean, you brought all those guys back, right? So, what's two more?" 

"Ya! You can do it!" Hunter said, pumping his fist. "You're d'summoner, ya? You c'n do anyt'ing!" 

"Agreed," Gage said simply. 

Arashi smiled and took a deep breath before saying, "So, you guys got it? Concentrate your energy on the window to Sin's soul." 

Niet blinked. "Window? I don't see a window." 

"She means figuratively, idiot," Mattian said, giving the brunette a glare. 

"Hey—" 

"Actually, I mean a real window," Arashi said, turning to look at Sin. She pointed to the oddly-shaped "hole" in Sin's chest, which was currently being bombarded by black magic spells. "Tidus and Atrah told me they can see and hear the outside world through that little hole. Neat, huh?" 

Niet stuck her tongue out at Mattian, who immediately began to sulk. Yueh rolled her eyes. _Of all the times…_

"Can it, you two!" Gage yelled. He looked at Arashi. "It's time to battle, right?" 

Arashi grabbed her belt and held it taught between her hands. "All right! Let's rock, baby!" 

"Didn't you use that line before?" Niet asked, ruining the moment. Arashi looked thoughtful for a bit before replying. 

"Heh, you're right. But 'flock off feather face' wouldn't work in this situation—" 

"Uh, shouldn't we, you know, do our thing?" Yueh asked, nearly falling over from her friend's bouts of spaciness. 

"Ne? Oh, right!" Arashi's face went serious again, and her belt was held at the ready, the crescent moon gem dangling by her right hand. "Atrah, Tidus, we're comin' for you!" The gem began to glow, its aura bright blue. 

Yueh closed her eyes and concentrated all of her energy on Sin and his "window," pulling all of her magic power out and into the open. The jewel hanging off of her neck began to glow brightly, and it hovered off of her chest and into the air in front of her, its movement restricted only by the string that held it to Yueh's neck. The magic power in the room grew as the six began to channel all of their power, the gems glowing ever brighter in their colors. 

Yueh could faintly hear the hymn of the fayth being sung by the ghostly chorus, as if encouraging the six magic users on. She took a deep breath and began singing softly with them, the words coming from somewhere inside of her. She heard most of the others around her do the same. 

"Atrah! Tidus!" she heard Arashi shout suddenly. "We're here!" 

Yueh opened her eyes and saw the auras of all the gems blend together to create a nearly blinding white light. The beam shot straight for the heart of Sin, the window to Atrah and Tidus. The light began to pulsate, and Sin started a wretched screaming that filled the entire chamber and pounded at everyone's ears. As Sin started writhing, the light beam ended and went the full way into the window. 

"Minna! Everyone! _DUCK_!" Arashi shouted over the din. 

"Why—" Yueh began to ask. Her question was quite quickly answered as the form of Sin began to bloat in a rapid manner, expanding beyond what would probably be deemed normal for it. Both groups quickly scattered to the far sides of the chamber as it exploded, ending the singing and Sin's screaming in one short moment. Clouds of dust rose throughout the whole room, blinding everyone for a little bit. 

When the dust settled, Yueh looked up to see Arashi still standing where she had been before, her hair disheveled, her expression both tired and gleeful at once, her eyes concentrating on something in front of her. Yueh moved her gaze to a few feet in front of Arashi. 

Two young men were now standing there. One was obviously Tidus, with his asymmetrical pants and bright yellow short coat. 

The other had light brown hair and eyes and was dressed in a normal length spring-style, short sleeved coat, with blue on top and a light gray on the bottom, light gray pockets on the chest and light blue cuffs. A muscle shirt was underneath, the same color as the cuffs of his coat. He wore a belt of the same color, with a diamond-shaped silver buckle, and black pants with the same light blue cuffs as his coat. Black boots covered his feet, each with one silver piece of metal keeping it closed. His right arm had a thick cuff on his wrist, and his left had a sort of samurai-style piece of armor on the forearm. Around his neck was a silver chain with a dark green-blue gem on it. This, Yueh figured by a simple process of elimination, had to be Atrah. 

"Arashi?" he asked quietly, looking at the blond summoner. 

She nodded, smiling weakly. "Atrah…" She began to fall to the floor, but Atrah ran over and caught her quickly. 

He held her tightly and smiled. "Thank you…I'm so happy to see you again…" 

"Me too," she said, muffled. 

Yueh decided to let the two have their moment and turned to look at Tidus, who was looking about the chamber frantically. Spotting Yueh, he jogged over and asked, "Um, hey, have you seen a girl wearing a, uh, dark blue skirt? She's got light brown hair and—" 

"Tidus?" came a soft voice from behind him. The blitzer whirled around to see the other summoner standing behind him, crying. 

"Yuna!" The two embraced, murmuring words of love to one another. 

Niet walked over to Yueh and said quietly, "I guess it's a happy ending, huh?" 

Yueh gave a sigh and began to stretch her muscles out. "Yeah, I guess, but it seemed too easy…" 

"That's because it's not over," Mariana said, finally stepping out from the shadows of the room. 

"Whaddya mean, not over, ya? Sin's dead, ain't he?" Hunter asked, standing next to Yueh. 

"We saw him explode," Mattian said slowly. "He must be dead…" 

"No, I'm rather afraid he's…not," Gage said, looking back where Sin had stood moments earlier. 

"Huh? But—but—" 

Yueh looked over to where the dust had settled. Rising from the ashes like some evil phoenix was a menacing, bony black creature, with pointed claws and teeth each as big as one person. Yueh gulped. 

From over on the floor, she heard Arashi say, almost happily, "Ah. Now the fun begins…"


	49. Big, Black, and Ugly

Sorry for the long wait, everyone! And I mean it! To make up for it, this chapter and the next are longer than normal--quite a bit longer, LOL. That's part of what took so long. The other part is that I wrote most of the next chapter (coming as soon as I finish the epilogue!) longhand, and not on the computer, so it took longer and ended up longer. For some reason, I tend to be long winded when I write with a pen rather than a keyboard. Eh, who knows. Anyway, enjoy this next to last chapter, and I'm sorry if its a little funky during the whole ending. I'm not good at writing endings. = Maybe because it makes me sad to end a story? Eh. Look at me go on and on in this! Peh! Anyway, enjoy and forgive the longwinded authoress. ;; And review, maybe please? Don't make me beg...;; --Jedi Ari

Oh, one more thing...I don't know if I mentioned it, but I have a blog/livejournal now! Yay! Watch me whine about anime, manga, video games, and my uninteresting life at ;;

"What th' heck is dat thing?!" Hunter asked, starting to stumble backwards.

"The final boss, silly," Arashi said from the floor. Atrah shushed her.

"You shouldn't talk right now…"

"Unfortunately, I have to do more than talk," Arashi said, struggling to stand up. Atrah reluctantly helped her do so as the others gathered around.

"So now we have big, black, and ugly here to deal with," Niet said, summing up the situation quite simply. She gulped and looked at Arashi. "So, now what?"

Yueh bit her lip as she looked at the deformed version of Sin that stood before them. It was just as tall as before, but looked much more menacing with its gigantic claws and teeth. She was sure that with one swipe they could all be sliced in half.

_Good question…_

Arashi closed her eyes and said softly, "We pull out all the stops."

Gage raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

Opening her gray-blue eyes, and looking quite a bit more awake and healthy, she looked at the group with an evil grin.

"We get to kick some butt!"

"Awright!" Hunter began to jump around. "Time to rip Sin t'bits, ya?"

"Is it really that simple?" Lulu asked from behind Arashi. The group from earth turned to face the group from the original Spira. She looked at the blond warily. "We are dealing with a god."

"C'mon, people! Where's your confidence, huh? We can do it!" Tidus cheered. He gave Yuna a quick hug and glanced back at everyone. "We did it once before, didn't we?"

"And look what happened then," Auron pointed out.

"But—that was my fault," Yueh spoke up, pushing through the group to face Auron. The guardian didn't seem as intimidating now, for some reason. She looked him straight in the eye. "And I plan on fixing it."

"Me too, ya?" Hunter said, stepping up. He put an arm around Yueh's shoulders and nodded firmly. "We're gonna get rid o' dis guy, once and for all!" Very quietly, he added in Yueh's ear, "Besides, I gotta do it t' get rid o' dis stupid accent, ya?" Yueh stifled a giggle.

Auron seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding once. "Then it is agreed. We fight Sin…together."

"Right-o!" Rikku said. She jumped in front of Auron and grinned at Yueh and Hunter. "We'll kick his butt!"

"Let's save the victory dances for later, shall we?" Lulu suggested. She looked over her shoulder at the dark form of Sin and Yu Yevon, which was now seeming to remember its former strength. "We haven't even started."

"Well, _dat's_ encouragin', ya?" Wakka said, raising an eyebrow at Lulu.

"Wakka—"

"Fight now, talk later," Mattian said, pushing through the black mage and the blitzer and pulling out his sword. "I've been waiting for this all week!"

Niet rolled her eyes and muttered, "What a dork…" She pulled out her rapier and looked at Arashi. "But, either way, I'm ready!"

Yueh grabbed out her flute. "Me too."

The others all began to pull out their weapons, making Arashi look at Atrah and Tidus and ask, "Do you guys have swords? Or did Sin eat them up?"

"Well—"

There was a loud "shing" from a corner of the room far removed from Sin, along with a flash of bright blue light. All turned and looked to see two large, bright blue treasure chests now sitting amongst a pile of rubble.

Arashi smiled. "Gotta love those timed events. Go get your weapons, guys!"

Atrah and Tidus ran to get their swords while the others prepared themselves for battle—Sin included. Flames began to grow upon its front claws, and murmurs of a not-so-pleasant kind started to fill the chamber. Yueh took a deep breath and glanced around the chamber—which suddenly made her remember Mariana and her husband.

_I think…its time to put differences aside._ "Mariana! Genki! Would you—could you help us out?" Yueh shouted from across the room. Mariana stepped forward, with Genki following closely behind her.

The former-psychiatrist smiled, kindly for once. "Gladly. Anything to get rid of that…atrocity." As if to add to that statement, Sin roared deafeningly.

Yueh smiled as well. "Right."

"Swords at the ready!" Atrah shouted, holding up his newly acquired blade. It was a long sword with a hand-and-a-half hilt and two large feathers dangling off of it. Tidus had his usual blade— Brotherhood.

"Ready?" Arashi asked, giving a final look at the group.

"Ready!" everyone shouted, Mattian loudest of all.

"Attack!"

The group charged with everything they had. Yueh, Lulu, and Mariana were casting like crazy, throwing down their highest spells left and right. Most of the guys were slashing at Sin's feet, occasionally managing a magic-powered jump to take a swing at Sin's ever-moving claws. Wakka and Hunter were going straight for the head, aiming their blitzballs at Sin's eyes. Yuna and Arashi were the only two doing seemingly nothing—both were using their white magic to protect the other fighters.

Atrah gave Sin's ankles another slice, only to have his sword bounce off and himself fly backwards into the rest of the group, sending about half of the melee-ers tumbling to the ground. His brown eyes looked wildly to Arashi, who was one of the ones still standing.

"It's not doing any good! His skin is just getting stronger!" he yelled out.

Arashi nodded, and Yueh said, "Stop firing magic! It's going to bounce—"

As soon as the word escaped Yueh's lips, one of Mariana's last spells, a fire elemental, rebounded from Sin's chest and was headed straight for Yueh's head. She stood there, stunned.

"Yueh! Get out of the way!" Niet shouted.

She couldn't move. It felt like her feet were cemented in place.

"Yueh!" Hunter screamed.

The ball of flame was only a few inches from her face when a blur of blue flew past her, engulfing the spell in a burst of white steam. The ball rebounded off of the floor and returned back to its owner: Hunter, who let out a sigh of relief.

"Just in time, ya?" Hunter said, running over to pull her out of the way of the other spells that were flying back at them. "Now let's get movin'!" The rest of the fighters followed suit, getting as far away from the raging Sin as possible.

"Nothing's working! He's just getting stronger with every blow!" Auron shouted over the noise. Sin was letting out ear-shattering cries that were louder than ever. "This isn't going to work!"

"Then we'll try a different approach!" Yueh said.

"Like what? We've tried all that we can do!" Lulu said.

"Not everything," Arashi stated firmly. Everyone turned to look at her.

"You have _another_ plan?" Mattian asked disbelievingly.

"Of course she does!" Niet said, glaring at him. "She always does!"

"Wanna explain?" Hunter asked.

"We double up—summoner with summoner, black mage with black mage, and so on. It'll utilize our full power if we synchronize our moves with our doubles." The blond glanced at Mariana and Genki with a sad look. "Unfortunately, you guys can't help on this one."

Mariana nodded. "It is all right. We'll stand back and provide a guard if need be."

Yueh blinked, looking at the ex-psychiatrist. _She accepts it, just like that? It seems too…too…simple._

Arashi looked back at the rest of the group. "Team up with your double, and channel your energy. We'll attack all at once." She managed a snort of a laugh. "I feel like a quarterback."

"A quarter-what?" Rikku asked with a blank look.

"Ah, never mind. Everyone got what to do?"

"We got it, Arashi!" Wakka shouted for the groups. The rest just nodded, making Arashi smile. The blond summoner gave Yueh a look that said, "Everything's gonna be okay."

Yueh grinned in return and stepped up next to Lulu, giving a slight bow to the elder black mage. "Its…awesome to be fighting alongside you."

Lulu offered a rare smile and a kind look. "The same with you, Yueh. Now, shall we get to work?"

Yueh gave a short nod, her face turning red with the compliment. "Right."

The two summoners stood in front of the pairs, both with determined looks on their faces.

"Everybody! Get close!" Yuna shouted out, gripping her summoning rod tightly in both hands.

"Let's rip him a new one! Send him into oblivion!" Arashi screamed out, pumping a fist in the air.

Yueh smirked. _There's no difference in personalities of the summoners, is there?_ She followed Arashi's gesture. "Yeah! Kick his butt!"

"Make him into roadkill!" Niet put in, stabbing her rapier into the air.

"Let's do it! Everyone, _attack_!"

The summoners led the charge on Sin/Yevon, calling all the former Aeons to distract the monster, even if he would devour them shortly. Ixion, Valefore, and Bahamut flew in the air, circling around his head, with Shiva, Ifrit, Anima and the Magus Sisters running around and in between his feet, attacking at his toes. Yuna and Arashi casted protect on themselves and began to float up into the air as they kept the Aeons alive and on track.

"Melee-ers! Go!" Yuna and Arashi shouted out with one voice. The swordsmen (and women) charged forward, their blades imbued with the magic floating around them from the summoners. The pairs were like synchronized swimmers in their movements, somehow timing them exactly to coordinate with the other. Auron and Mattian were the slowest, but most powerful, throwing hard strokes straight at Sin's legs.

The towering Kimahri and Gage were jumping from the walls of the chambers, doing criss-crosses to slash at Sin's chest, making deep marks with their halberd and sword. Tidus and Atrah followed closely to them, working on keeping Sin's fearsome claws away from the others and concentrated on them. The two just laughed when there was a close call—some would call it being cocky, but the group just saw it as confidence.

Rikku and Niet were having a ball, poking at a place that most would rather ignore—Sin's rear end. The creature roared with every prick, making the girls laugh even harder as they dodged his tail.

"Mages! Blitzers! Go for it!" came the summoners' voices. The four nodded and began their distance attacks, aimed at Sin/Yevon's head, namely his eyes. Yueh threw down her hands with her strongest Ultima, Lulu following her lead. Their black spells hit its head at the same time, making it roar.

"NOW!" Wakka shouted, throwing his black magic-ed blitzball at Sin's open mouth. Hunter did the same, throwing it with all his strength. The blitzballs went straight down its throat, stopping its cry mid-breath.

"_Everyone, hit it now!_" Arashi and Yuna screamed out. All the swords went blade-deep into Sin's hide, the magic blinded it, and the final hit with Arashi's belt-whip and Yuna's summoning rod to its chest blew a hole in the creature big enough to drive a large chocobos-drawn wagon through. The hole burst with dark flames, and the shockwave from it sent all the fighters flying backwards into the opposite side of the chamber.

"What is that?!" Gage shouted over the noise.

"A rift in the space-time continuum?" Niet suggested, prompting a loud scoff from Mattian. The brunette glared at him. "Well, what is it then?"

"A hole into the very essence of Sin!" Arashi yelled, pushing herself off of the wall.

Tidus cocked his head to one side and glanced at the group from earth. "How does she always know what stuff is?" They all shrugged in turn.

Yueh stepped up next to Arashi, trying to look at the shifting hole through her constantly moving hair. "If that's a hole into Sin's essence…is that how we finish him off?"

Arashi began to reply, but was cut off by a shout from across the chamber. All heads turned to see Mariana standing to the left of the rift, holding hands with Genki as she looked at the other summoners and guardians.

"I thank you for getting me this far! I know now my mistakes, and what I must do to correct them!" She looked down, the torrents of wind getting ever stronger and louder. "I…I am sorry for the trouble I have caused you. I will kill Sin from the inside, and make it and Yu Yevon cease to exist! All I ask of you is to forgive me…" Mariana looked up, tears in her eyes. "…and remember me. Farewell!"

"Mariana! No!" Yueh screamed.

Mariana gave a sad smile before she and her husband leapt into the hole, leaving small black flames behind them as they disappeared. The hole remained intact, but began to shrink. Yueh ran forward, pushing past the wind.

"Yueh! Its not worth it!" Niet shouted out.

"Don't go!" Rikku chimed in.

Yueh stopped just before the chasm to turn around and look at everyone. Her allies, her comrades…her friends.

"I'm sorry…I have to." She turned back to jump in, only to have someone grab her wrist. She looked back to see Hunter right next to her, his face serious.

"Then I'm coming with."

There was a quick silence between the two before Yueh gave a small understanding smile and nodded. The two jumped through the hole together, disappearing like Mariana and Genki before them. The rest of the guardians and summoners ran to try and follow, but the rift disappeared just as they reached it.

The room was eerily silent as all eyes stared where the massive gateway had just been. Rikku was the first to speak.

"Now what?"

Arashi, always with the answers, dusted off a place on the floor before sitting.

"It's simple: we wait."

"Wait? Are you nuts?!" Mattian shouted, stepping up to Arashi. "They could be dying right now, and you tell us to just _wait_?!"

"Back off, Mattian," Atrah growled, positioning himself between the two. Mattian didn't step down. Instead, he started yelling at Atrah to diffuse his anger.

"She could be letting two of our friends die by not doing anything! The creepy chick and her husband, too!"

"Look—"

"Ranting and raving will not help the situation," Auron said calmly. His voice quieted the other two, although Atrah still looked furious. "Think for a moment: has Lady Arashi ever led you wrong?"

"No," Mattian said, resigning himself to sit down. From behind him, Niet grinned, glad Mattian was proved wrong once again. This going unnoticed to him, he added, "But it just doesn't feel right."

"Perhaps Arashi would like to explain?" Lulu suggested, looking at the blond summoner. "I'm sure Mattian isn't the only one curious as to your course of action."

Arashi took a deep breath. After releasing it, she said, "Bring me Yueh's bag and I'll show you."

"Didn't we leave everything at our camp?" Gage asked, blinking. Arashi shook her head.

"I made sure to take Yueh's bag—it has all of our potions and such in it. And the item I'd like. So, if someone wouldn't mind getting it…"

His fury against Mattian fading, Atrah nodded. "Sure, where is it?"

"Over by the entrance wall." Arashi pointed. As Atrah went to retrieve it, she said, "I hope the windstorm from Sin didn't scatter everything."

"I didn't see anything flying around," Gage said, sitting down next to Mattian and facing Arashi. "So that's a good sign."

Arashi smiled. "You'd hope." As everyone began to sit down near Arashi, Atrah returned with the now-ragged backpack and set it on her lap. She began to dig through it and Atrah sat down on her right.

"What is it you're looking for?" Niet asked, trying to peer into the dark bag from Arashi's other side. "I don't have a clue—"

"You never do," Mattian scoffed, rolling his eyes. Niet glared at him, and Arashi let out a triumphant "Ah-ha!" before a fistfight broke out. All eyes turned upon her.

"Well?" Mattian asked, again impatient.

"The first item that we ever got—beside our charms and weapons, that is," Arashi said. She pulled a worn, rolled up piece of paper from the pouch. Niet gasped with recognition.

"Our map!" she exclaimed. She took it from Arashi's grasp, looking at it gleefully. "It feels like forever since I've seen this thing!"

"No wonder you got lost so often!" Mattian said, laughing. He received another glare from Niet for this comment.

Wakka scratched his head. "What's a map hafta do wit' Yueh and Hunter and Sin, ya?"

"You Spirans wouldn't completely get it," Arashi said apologetically. "But, Niet, you remember what the map looked like at first, right?"

"Yeah, it had most of the U.S. on it, and a little blinky arrow where we were," she said, finally looking back at Arashi.

"And after we went to Zanarkand the first time?"

"A little bit of west-coastline," Niet said, frowning. "When our families disappeared." There was a small silence.

"And what does it look like now?" Arashi prompted.

"Still the west-coastline," Niet said dejectedly. Gage leaned in and peered at the map.

"Yeah, California to Oregon. What's the point?"

Arashi snorted and yoinked the map back from Niet. "Watch the right side of the big 'island' of California closely."

Niet leaned in and squinted at the map. All of the group from earth (with the exception of Arashi) gasped.

"It's growing!" Niet put a finger down on the right side of what would be the state of California, which was rapidly expanding to once again include the other western states. "The land—it's coming back!"

"Which is precisely why I'm not worried," Arashi explained. She bit her lip, then admitted, "Well, at least, not very worried. All the people who disappeared or were killed by Sin while it was here on earth are returning, along with the land that vanished."

Niet continued to watch the map while Gage asked, "But how did you know that they were returning without looking at the map?"

"It has to do with being a white mage, I suppose," Arashi said, shrugging. She looked at Yuna for some sort of confirmation. "You can feel the life of others. It's part of being a healer. And when life comes or goes in large quantities…"

"You feel that pain within your own heart," Yuna finished. Her multi-colored eyes stared at the ground. "When all those people died at Operation Mi'ihen, I didn't have to see it to know it had happened. I could feel it inside of me." Tidus put an arm around her and gave her a small hug. Looking up at Tidus, she added, "Sendings do much the same thing."

Lulu nodded slowly. "Most mages of any kind can feel it. Magic of any sort is linked to life or death."

"So Yueh may be able to feel it as well?" Niet asked.

"Perhaps," Lulu said, "but not as much as a white mage would."

"That's all great, but what does that have to do with leaving Yueh and Hunter all alone in the giant dark portal that just disappeared?" Mattian asked.

"They just entered the essence of what remains of Sin," Arashi said slowly. "Once they get rid of it, the portal will probably spit them out. They don't belong there."

"Or so you hope," Auron inferred from Arashi's tone. She nodded.

"Either way, there is nothing we can do but wait for their return. We know that our world will return, and Sin will be gone from it for good, but as for them…"

Mattian's face turned grim. "…we just have to wait." 


	50. Back To Normal

Wow, the final chapter...this feels so weird. There's still an epilogue after this, so do stay tuned! Sorry it took so long, too--my mono has not been kind to me, and I've been doing stuff getting ready for college. ALSO, for a short time, FF.net disabled my account because they deleted one of my stories, saying it didn't meet guidelines. If you've read it (a short skit with FFX characters, like for cosplaying), you'd know why I'm a bit ticked. So, please forgive me. They haven't replied to my emails either. Email me if you know how to contact FF.net other than their listed email addresses! I really want to talk to someone about it (they said it was chat or something or other, not a skit, even though I listed it was a skit at least three times in the thing, once in the summary). Any help would be greaaat.

Anyway, without further ado, the final chapter! I apologize for any choppiness or weird stuff--I'm not good at writing endings. ;;; --Jedi Ari

Yueh was falling through the air, holding tightly onto Hunter's hand with her own, only able to watch as bright points of light buzzed past them through the darkness. It was completely and utterly silent with the exception of her and Hunter's breaths. After what felt like a few minutes of falling, she finally said something.

"When do you think it'll stop?"

Hunter merely shrugged as much as he could mid-air before squeezing her hand tightly. Yueh reciprocated and pulled herself closer to the young blitzer. It was at that moment when music began to play.

"You hear that?" Yueh asked. Hunter nodded. The chorus slowly got louder. "It's the Hymn of the Fayth again, isn't it?" She closed her eyes and concentrated on the music. _Please, help me get to where I need to be…to save earth and Mariana…_

Suddenly, the chorus halted, and so did Yueh and Hunter. Both let out a yelp as they landed on a very soft bit of ground, rather like the cushions on a plush couch. Opening one eye, Yueh looked around and at herself.

"I don't think I'm broken…" She blinked slowly and stood up, helping Hunter up along with her. Yueh nearly fell over again when she tried to walk around. Walking on the ground was like trying to walk around on a broken spring mattress. She looked over to Hunter. "You okay?"

"Yeah, nothing broken, although I think my butt might be bruised after this—" The duo stared at each other.

"The accent's gone!" they shouted together. Yueh began to jump, which, as she quickly found out, was a bad idea, for they were both on the "ground" again in rather short order.

"Man, that's a relief. I thought I'd be stuck talking like Wakka forever," Hunter said with a relieved sigh. He gave a grin as he winked at Yueh. "…ya?"

"Yeah, that would've—" Yueh shook her head and stood up again, more carefully this time. "We've gotta go find Mariana and Genki. And get us all out of here." She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked around the enclosed chamber. "Wherever 'here' is."

The chamber was covered with a soft cushion, its hue always changing and shifting. It went down into a tunnel, to where, Yueh wasn't sure. _But it's the only direction we can go in, isn't it?_

Hunter echoed her thoughts and pointed down the tunnel. "Guess we go that way, huh?"

"Right." Yueh grabbed Hunter's hand and began to lead the way. They both carefully stepped down the tunnel as quickly as they could without falling over.

It was silent as they walked, and Yueh couldn't quite take any more of it. "You sound…different without Wakka's accent," she said, trying to start small talk.

Hunter laughed. "Yeah, I bet I sound a lot better now, right?"

Yueh thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, not necessarily better," she decided. Hunter gave her a bewildered look and she giggled. "And not worse, either. Just…different. It'll take some getting used to." The two smiled at each other and kept on walking.

"Mariana and Genki should be pretty close, shouldn't they?" Hunter said. He stared down the long hallway. "We weren't far behind them in jumping in the portal-thing."

"You'd think." Yueh continued tromping down the squishy path. _Ugh, this stuff is hard to walk on._ "How are we going to stop her?"

"I was hoping _you_ had a plan, actually," Hunter admitted. Yueh sighed.

"I guess we'll have to ad-lib it, then." There was an awkward moment of silence. "Do you…do you think we'll—"

"—make it back out to earth?" Hunter said, finishing her thought. Yueh nodded, and Hunter just shrugged. "We've gotten this far, and I finally don't have an accent. I am _not_ going to stay here and die." He looked at Yueh. "And I'm not going to leave you here, either."

Yueh blushed. "I…thanks." She stopped, sighing. "I just hope I can fix the mess I made here. If…if I can't bring back my family—"

Hunter clasped both of Yueh's hands in his own. "It's not just _your_ mess. It's _ours._ And we will fix it. Whatever it takes…" Hunter took her in a soft embrace, and Yueh blushed deeper. "…we'll do it."

"Right." She took a deep breath before separating herself from Hunter. "So let's keep going." Hunter gave a short nod and followed her closely.

It wasn't long after that when Yueh spied a light flickering at the end of the hallway. Her face brightened. _Mariana's gotta be there!_ She glanced at Hunter. "C'mon, let's run!"

"But—"

Somehow, both Yueh and Hunter managed to run on the soft, pliable ground at near full speed. Yueh smirked. _We must have a high luck stat…especially to make it this far._ They were feet from entering a small, circular chamber when Hunter suddenly stopped and pulled Yueh back against the wall. She looked at him, her brown eyes wide.

"Wha—"

"If we just rush in, we could screw something up," Hunter whispered hoarsely. "Let's just spy for a little bit, okay?"

_I should've thought of that…_ Yueh nodded and peered into the room next to her.

It was a perfectly round room, with the same cushy stuffing on the walls, all of the same shifting hues. In the middle of the room was a tall, glowing column that seemed to be made of glass with water inside. Mariana and Genki were staring at it, just within Yueh's line of vision.

"This is it…Sin's life force," Mariana said, putting a hand on the glass. "We will destroy Sin once and for all…so it can never return."

"Mariana." Genki interrupted his wife with a soft voice. She turned to him and he began to fidget. "I know this is what we have to do, and I know I want to do this, but I'll regret it if I don't do one thing first."

Mariana's eyes grew in concern. "What?"

Quite suddenly (almost making Yueh gasp), Genki took Mariana's head in his hands and kissed her deeply. Yueh looked away, as did Hunter, blushing, only turning back when they were sure they were done. Mariana was looking at Genki, her own face red and her eyes even wider.

"I love you," he said simply, his gaze never wavering from hers. Tears began to form in Mariana's green eyes.

"I…I love you too." She gave her husband a tight hug. "I only wish we could have found one another in different circumstances." Releasing him, she gave a sad smile, almost making Yueh cry. "Let's do it."

"Like you could ever defeat Sin!" a voice said, laughing. The column shimmered with each chuckle. "Sin will never die!"

Yueh winced. She knew that voice. Glancing at Hunter, she knew he recognized it as well.

Mariana did, too: her gaze was once again fierce as she glared at the column. "Seymour, you…"

Sure enough, a blue-haired man in a robe of the same color stepped out from the column. Mariana went to punch him, but her fist sailed right through him and socked the glass.

"He's a mirage?" Hunter asked quietly.

"An illusion—a projection," Yueh murmured.

Mariana cradled her inured fist against her chest, still glaring at the Guado. "I will get rid of you, too."

He laughed. "Dear woman, how do you 'get rid of' someone who is already dead?" Mariana clenched her unhurt hand with no reply. Seymour smirked. "You see? Even without Yu Yevon, as long as I persist, the spiral will continue, with Sin as my puppet!"

_This is just _great_. Creepy Guado guy is somewhat alive, and he's controlling—augh, this _sucks_!_ She gritted her teeth. _How are we going to beat him?_

Genki stepped forward, his eyes on Seymour. "Dead or not, where _I'm_ from, you're just a character in a game. And you know what?"

"What?" Seymour asked in an amused tone.

Genki pulled out his sword. "I kicked your ass every time!" With a shout, Genki drove the sword deep into the column, making Seymour wince slightly. Sparks of electricity jumped from Genki's arms and down the sword, into the column.

Seymour laughed. "That's all you can offer?"

Mariana let her hand down from her chest and shook her head vehemently. "We haven't even begun!" she screamed, thrusting her hands against the glass. More electricity jumped down her slender arms, arcing into the hole from the sword into the column. Seymour's legs seemed to give out for a moment, but he regained his composure.

"You're acting with ignorance! You know I'll still survive—and so will Sin!" he shouted, laughing coldly.

Yueh watched, frozen in some sort of shock, as Mariana and Genki sweated heavily, beginning to sink to the ground. Seymour's laugh overcame all other noise, growing louder and Mariana and Genki seemed to fade.

"Give your lives, if you like! _Sacrifice_ yourselves! You would need _twice_ your strength to even _touch_ me!" Seymour yelled shrilly, throwing his hands in the air.

_It's time._

"Good—because she has it," Yueh said, stepping out into the sparking light. Hunter stepped in next to her, taking her hand.

"Both of us," he said.

"A girl thinks she can defeat me? And her friend as well?"

Yueh somehow forced a smile. "It's just like Genki said…"

"…we've kicked your ass every time!" Hunter finished, throwing a charged blitzball at the glass column. It broke into it, embedding itself in the glass. Hunter kept his hand on the ball, continuing to course electricity to it.

Seymour sunk to his knees, grasping at his chest. "You…you can't beat me! I can't die!"

Yueh stepped closer to Seymour's projection. "How do you get rid of someone who's already dead?" She grinned wickedly as Seymour twitched and put her hand against the column.

"How?" Seymour coughed out.

Lightning sparked at her fingertips as she screamed, "You kill him _again_!" With both her hands on the glass, Yueh put her heart and soul into the strongest lightning spell she could muster.

Seymour screamed, his body sparking with large bolts of lightning. His form flickered before disappearing completely—but Yueh knew it wasn't over.

A body appeared on the inside of the glass tube—Seymour's. He was writhing in pain, thumping the glass with every jerk.

"Sin will never come back!" Yueh shouted out.

"And neither…will _you_!" Mariana yelled.

Both mages and their companions gave a final surge of electricity, shattering the column and bursting Seymour into a cloud of pyreflies. A small cloud of red and white mist flew from the center of the pyreflies. It swirled slowly around Yueh and the others.

"Yu…Yu Yevon possessed him?" Mariana mumbled.

Yueh shook her head. "He stole Yevon's power," she said with certainty.

"Kill it before it does anything else!" Genki ordered.

Yueh outstretched one lightning-covered hand as far as she could. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on her target.

_He's weak…_

Her brown eyes shot open. Yevon was just within reach.

"Now!"

The mist made the mistake of floating straight into Yueh's sparking hand. When it hit, Yueh put as much of her energy into the spell as she could. With a final shriek, Yu Yevon died, the mist evaporating.

All four in the chamber relaxed, leaning against what was left of the glass column. Their breaths were slow, but steady.

"It's finally over," Yueh said. She looked in turn at Hunter, Mariana, and Genki. "After all this time, just like that, huh, Mariana?" There was no response—the summoner's eyes were closed. "Mariana?!"

Genki took his wife in his arms and shook her gently, his eyes full of panic. "Mariana, please wake up, please—"

"She is all right, just exhausted. She'll wake up in a while," a young voice said. Yueh turned to its source and found a boy in a purple hooded robe: Bahamut's fayth.

"Why haven't you disappeared?" Hunter asked.

The boy smiled. "I have a little time yet."

"Now that Yevon and Sin are gone, what will happen to earth?" Yueh asked. "Will it stay like this?"

"No. Even now, it's going back to normal. The land is returning, and so are the people—even those killed by Sin's destruction here. Your families, too," he noted, seeing Yueh's worried look.

"Will they remember anything about what happened?" Hunter wondered.

Shaking his head, the fayth said, "Nothing. It will be like a dream. Everything will…reset itself to the moment Sin arrived." A smile. "The least we could do. Those with charms such as yours will be the only people of earth to remember."

Yueh let out a happy sigh. _Only we'll remember this horror, no one else—_ "Wait, what about people like Genki? Who fell in love with a Spiran?"

Luckily, the young boy seemed to have an answer for every question thrown at him. "They will be given a choice: to leave this world forever and go to Spira with their significant other, or to remain on earth and lose their memory, just like the others."

"I'll stay with her," Genki said without hesitation, holding Mariana to his chest.

"I must leave. I…finally get to rest," the boy said, turning away.

"Wait!" Yueh said, jumping up. "What about Spira? What about—what about Tidus? Will he still—?"

"No," the fayth said, looking over his shoulder. "You and the others made him more than a dream—made him a reality. And Spira…" The boy grinned as he turned to leave. "…will never have to fear Sin again. Goodbye, and thank you." With those last words, the boy walked through the wall and disappeared.

Yueh smiled. "Everything's gonna be all right now, isn't it?" She turned and helped Hunter up. "It's over." _It really is over…_

"Yeah. Now we just have to get out of here and back to earth," Hunter said, looking around the room.

Genki finally stood up, his sword sheathed and Mariana cradled in his arms. "With Sin gone, and Seymour, _and_ Yevon _and_ the fayth gone, this, uh, dimension probably won't be needed anymore, so…"

Yueh raised an eyebrow. "It'll just collapse and spit us out?"

Genki frowned. "Um—"

Suddenly, the chamber began to shake wildly. All of the people standing fell back down onto the cushioned floor. Hunter looked over to Genki and Yueh with a lopsided grin. Grabbing Yueh's hand in one of his own and his blitzball in the other, he said, "Guess you were right!"

Yueh gulped and closed her eyes tightly. _Time for another long fall…_

The chamber began to flicker in and out of existence, until it finally disappeared completely, prompting Hunter to shout:

"Yee-hah!"

----

The rest of the group sat in waiting in Yunalesca's chamber, waiting as patiently as they could. Most of them were sitting on the ground still, occupying their time by making idle chatter or, in Kimahri's case, making no noise at all. Arashi and Atrah were the only ones moving, with Arashi pacing and singing softly and Atrah following her footsteps. This went on until Yunalesca's chamber gave a mighty shake, throwing the walkers off-balance and making the others look around nervously.

"Um, is that a good or a bad sign?" Niet asked, looking at Arashi.

Arashi pursed her lips. "It could be either."

As the chamber rumbled again, Mattian said, "It'd better be a good sign, or else I'm outta here!"

"You're not very brave for a guardian, are you?" Rikku commented.

Auron let out a small laugh. "This coming from a guardian afraid of a little thunder?"

Rikku pouted. "Hey—"

The room shook again, this time accompanied by a large gust of wind from the direction of the ceiling. All eyes looked up to see a new swirling rift in the air, prompting everyone who wasn't already standing to do so.

"That _can't_ be good!" Niet exclaimed, hiding behind the nearest person (who, unfortunately, was Mattian). She grabbed tightly onto his shoulders, her nails digging in. Thankfully, Mattian didn't say anything and simply winced and beared it.

Arashi, however, was grinning and heading right under the portal. "Yuna, I'm going to need your help on this one. You know how to cast Shell, right?"

Yuna nodded, a bit confused. "Yes, I do. But why—?"

"Just trust me and come here, please," Arashi interrupted, staring up into the portal. Yuna walked over and Arashi went on. "We'll cast Shell at the same time, towards each other. When it materializes, grab the edges, okay?"

"All right," Yuna said slowly. The two looked at each other intently.

"On three. One, two…_three_!"

The Shells shot straight for each other, and met in the middle, sticking together before rebounding at the white mages. They both grabbed the very edges of the honey-combed "fabric," creating what looked rather like a large fishing net.

"Everyone, hold on to a part of the Shell and spread out in a circle!" Arashi commanded. "We need this thing to match the size of the hole up there!"

As everyone moved into place, Mattian asked, "Why are we doing this?"

Arashi smiled widely. "Because I'll bet you any second now, Yueh, Hunter, Mariana, and Genki are going to fall out of that portal!"

Before anyone could reply, a loud noise came from the rift—and it sounded rather like a certain long-haired blitzer from earth.

"Yee-hah!"

Hunter and Yueh, hand in hand, came blasting through the portal, headed quite quickly for the ground. Yueh was absolutely terrified when she figured out they were falling from the ceiling, but smiled with relief when she saw a white magic "net" waiting for her.

The two fell gently into the Shell-net, bouncing a few times before coming to a full stop and climbing out onto solid ground.

"Welcome back!" Niet said, smiling. Yueh returned the gesture.

"Where's Genki and Mariana?" Gage asked.

"Gah!" came a shout from the ceiling. Everyone looked up to see Mariana and Genki falling down as the rift whooshed close behind them. Genki landed neatly on the net with Mariana in his arms. The "rescue team" set the Shell-net on the ground, where it dissipated, leaving Genki and Mariana on the floor.

"Everyone's all right!" Rikku shouted happily with a jump.

"Mostly," Genki corrected her. He looked down at Mariana. "She fainted from the battle."

"_Battle_?!"

"What happened in there?"

"Who'd ya fight?"

Yueh took a deep breath and explained everything that had just happened: Mariana and Genki's near sacrifice, Seymour, the water column, Yu Yevon, and Bahamut's fayth's explanation of what was going to happen.

Upon hearing the news that he wouldn't disappear, Tidus seemed both shocked and happy.

"I…I get to stay with everyone?" he said, blinking. Tears were in Yuna's eyes as she ran to him and held him tight. Tidus just laughed and put his arms around her. "I…get to stay here with you!" He picked the summoner up, twirling her around. "I can stay with you!" he shouted, tears in his own eyes even as he smiled.

Lulu shook her head. "They're off in their own little world," she said. Even as she did, however, she smiled.

"Happy endings all around!" Niet said, doing her own dance. Rikku eagerly joined in, giggling.

Yueh smiled with a happy sigh. Everything had been set right, finally. _Finally_.

"There is one small matter yet to be resolved," Auron said, glancing at Yueh with his one russet eye.

Her smile turned into a confused frown. "What?"

"How are we getting home?"

Yueh thought for a moment. "Well—"

"I know!" Arashi spoke up, grabbing her belt.

"You do?" Niet asked mid-dance.

Arashi nodded. "Yup, but I need _all_ of my guardians to help," she said wryly. Niet blushed, stopped danging and walked over to Arashi. Her other guardians huddled close by.

"How are you going to accomplish this?" Auron asked.

"Easy! We send you!" Arashi exclaimed. There was a collective wince from the Spirans, making Arashi laugh nervously. "Ehe, sorry, bad wording…"

Yueh laughed inside her head. _Nice one, Arashi._

"I think she means we send you home using the jewels," Yueh said, stepping in. "One mass transportation spell."

"Mariana and me as well, right?" Genki asked, finally standing up. Mariana was still cradled in his arms, unconscious.

"Of course!" Arashi said. She looked at Yueh. "You ready?"

_Since the day this adventure started,_ Yueh thought. She nodded and grabbed the gem around her neck. "All right, everyone—"

"Wait!" Arashi shouted suddenly. Yueh almost fell over.

"What?"

Arashi's face turned red. "There's one more thing I want to do before they leave."

"I think you've done enough for one day, hon," Atrah said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Just one last thing," Arashi promised. Gesturing Niet and Yueh closer, she began to whisper her plan. Yueh's eyes lit up—it would make a truly happy ending for all in this ordeal. Niet just laughed and shook her head, but agreed.

The conspiring trio all turned to look at Auron, who stared back calmly.

"Auron, we all agree that you deserve something for all you've done for everyone," Yueh announced.

"Ooh, a present!" Rikku said gleefully. She hopped up and down a little. "What?"

"I believe having my life when I should be on the Farplane is enough of a reward," Auron commented.

"Well, I don't!" Arashi disagreed, hands on her hips. She brandished her belt and, as a whitish aura began to glow from Yueh's, Niet's, and her charms, said, "You lost ten years because of Sin, and I think you should get the back!"

Auron chuckled. "A kind gesture, Lady Arashi, but—"

"No buts! Take back your ten years!" With those words, the white glow from the charms surrounded Auron, blocking him from all view for a moment. Once the aura evaporated, everyone but Yueh, Arashi, and Niet gasped.

"What is it?" Auron growled. Slowly, he blinked his eyes—_both_ of them. His face contorted slightly as he brought a hand to his head, running it down the right side of his face.

He was ten years younger, and his scar was now a faint line down his right cheek.

"I—I—" For once, Auron was speechless.

"Have a happy ten years more!" Arashi said, stepping forward. She plucked his glasses from his nose, adding," And I'll take _these_, since you don't need them." With a wink, Arashi put them on her own face.

Atrah laughed. "You thief!"

Auron remained without words as Yueh took command once more. "Okay, everyone, let's sent them back home!"

The earth group began to concentrate, their magical energy growing. Streams of white and blue light began to weave through the Spirans, including Mariana and Genki.

As they began to fade, Rikku shouted out, "Come and visit us sometime, okay?"

Arashi grinned. "We will!"

Niet glanced at her, one eyebrow raised. "We will?" Arashi just laughed.

The Spirans began to disappear, each with a goodbye, until only Genki and Mariana remained. The former-psychiatrist was still knocked out.

"Genki!" Yueh yelled before they faded completely. He turned his head to look at her.

"Yeah?"

"Tell Mariana goodbye for me. And…thank you."

Genki nodded as they finally disappeared.

Yueh laughed and fell to the ground with a relieved smile.

_It's done... _

_Finally, everything is back to normal…_


	51. Epilogue

Here it is, the epilogue. Thanks for hanging in with me for all this time, guys, and I'm sorry it took so long. Here's some notes: all Al Bhed will be translated at the end for you (in the order that it appears), the full lyrics of "Real Emotion" is available under Final Fantasy X-2 at http: (where I found them at), -- -- indicates singing/song lyrics, and the rest of the author's notes are at the very, VERY end. Thanks, and enjoy! --Jedi Ari

EDIT 2005.05.02: Due to FFnet's policy regarding song lyrics, I removed and tweaked some of this chapter. It doesn't have the same effect to me, but...;; I don't want to get my account closed. So, slightly revised, mostly the same. --Jedi Ari

"Gotta hurry, gotta hurry…"

Yueh's mom peeked her head in the doorway. "Paula, honey, where are you going?"

Yueh turned around quickly, putting her hands in her pockets. "Just to a friend's house, mom, I told you before." She ran out the door of her room and down the hallway. "I'll be back tonight! Bye!" She was out the front door in a matter of seconds and hid behind the house.

"Phew!" She pulled a small object out of her pocket, smiling. "Time to meet Arashi and the others…" Yueh poked at the mini save sphere, making a long menu pop up. "I'm so glad Arashi thought of these. Let's see, she said to meet in Djose, right?" She held her necklace's gem in her hand as she hit the menu choice of "Djose Temple." She quickly disappeared into the air.

"Hey, Paula, mom said—"

Her brother skidded to a halt, staring at the spot where Yueh had just been. He took a deep breath and put a hand to his forehead.

"I think I'm gonna go lie down…"

When Yueh opened her eyes, she was in the former Chamber of the Fayth in Djose temple, her hair back up in a bun and her clothes back to her old black mage's outfit.

"Heya! Right on time!" a familiar voice said. Yueh turned around, grinning, and saw Arashi, Atrah, and Niet all standing there.

"Glad I got the right temple," Yueh said, laughing. "When did you guys get here?"

"A few minutes ago," Atrah replied.

"We all traveled together," Arashi explained.

There was a flash of light, and another figure appeared.

"Hunter!" Yueh shouted happily. She gave the blitzer a hug. "It's so great to see you again!"

"You, too," Hunter said, returning the embrace. He looked at the others. "All of you, actually."

Before anything else could be said, there were two more flashes of light in rapid succession.

"I _told_ you it was Djose," Gage said with an exasperated look. Mattian frowned.

"I could've sworn she said Kilika…"

"You came together?" Yueh asked.

Gage shook his head and pointed a thumb at Mattian. "No, I made the mistake of double-checking the location with him online, but he said Kilika. And when no one else came…"

"So what? We're all here now, anyway!" Mattian said.

"Same old idiot," Niet mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"C'mon, guys, let's head out! We need to hurry," Arashi reminded everyone. She and Atrah led the way out of the Chamber and through the temple.

"I still can't believe it took six months to organize this," Niet said. "I mean, its just a _wedding_."

"Double wedding," Arashi chirped.

"One that all of Spira will be watching, too, I bet," Hunter added.

"Why else would Tidus, Yuna, Wakka, and Lulu hold it in Luca and not Besaid?" Gage pointed out.

Arashi stopped just before the doors to outside the temple and looked at the assembled group.

"Okay, everyone, get ready for the 'fans,' and remember our cover story." The blond looked at Niet and Mattian. "Especially you two."

Yueh had to laugh as the two blushed. Their "cover story" for being in Spira but not Spirans had been concocted by Yuna and Arashi. They were from a "distant island" where Sin was only a legend, and the summoner and guardians that came from there had helped to bring the Eternal Calm. So, along with Yuna and the rest, they had become instant celebrities—leading to interviews over the sphere network.

"Hey, there were lights and a bunch of people, I was distracted!" Mattian proclaimed.

"You called Yuna and Tidus characters instead of people," Gage said.

"Well, _she_ called Spira FFX!" Mattian yelled, pointing.

"I was just going off of what _you_ said!" Niet shot back.

"You figure they'd have gotten over this already," Atrah said.

"Either way, get ready," Yueh said, trying to get the quarreling duo back on track.

"You all remember how to ride chocobos, right?" Arashi asked. When everyone nodded, she went on. "Good. Auron made sure we get the fastest chocobos available, so be ready for a quick ride."

Yueh took a deep breath as Arashi opened the doors. Soon a crowd of cheering people were surrounding them.

"Look, its Hunter!"

"Aah! I can see Gage!"

"Arashi and Atrah!"

"Yueh, Niet, over here!"

"Mattian, _E muja oui!_"

"_Oui cruimh'd! Ra'c yh eteud!_" Niet shouted back. Arashi simply chuckled, although Yueh (who still hadn't learned Al Bhed) didn't know why.

"Ari! Ari, over here!" shouted a familiar girl's voice. Yueh looked to its source and saw Rikku at the far end of the crowd, jumping up and down and waving next to Auron, who looked thoroughly embarrassed to be next to the exuberant Al Bhed girl.

"Ari?" Gage asked, trying to push a path through to the two Spiran guardians.

"Rikku's new nickname for me. She thought of it last time we were here," Arashi explained. She grunted as she was jostled amidst the raging fans.

Getting annoyed by fans as well, Yueh briefly entertained the thought of zapping the crowd with lightning. Luckily for the fans, Auron quickly ended things by simply glaring at the crowd and resting his massive sword's point in the ground, shouting, "Clear out! We have a schedule to keep!"

His voice was easily heard by the crowd, who quickly parted to create a clear path, much to Yueh's amusement.

The group of earth's summoner and guardians quickly made it to Rikku and Auron and the chocobos. After all nine of them had mounted the chocobos, the crowd began to close in on them once more.

"We leave! Now!" Auron shouted. His chocobos ran down Mushroom Rock Road at an alarming speed. Yueh gulped, and Arashi just laughed again.

"Onward! Hya!"

The wedding was a beautiful affair, with the two couples wed on the highest balcony in Luca, with all the Spirans watching. Yueh and the others had actually served as bridesmaids and ushers, right next to the betrothed on the balcony.

Yueh smiled when the two couples sealed their vows with a kiss. Looking up the line of bridesmaids, she saw Rikku grinning along with Niet, and Arashi crying happily. Yueh looked over to Hunter, who was already looking at her. The two blushed and turned back to the just-married couples.

After the wedding, the crowd stayed and the newlyweds were seated, watching as the blitzball field morphed slowly into a stage. Yueh, who was now seated next to everyone upon the balcony, turned to Niet.

"Is someone doing a concert for them?" she asked quietly.

"I dunno," Niet said, shrugging. Yueh went to turn and ask Arashi, but found she wasn't in her seat. She was instead at the entrance of the balcony, taking something from an Al Bhed man and bowing slightly. Before Yueh could call Arashi over, the blond was already back in her seat.

"What was _that_ all about?" Yueh asked.

"A fan," Arashi said with a shrug. "He wanted to give us these." She held out three small, camera-sphere looking objects and handed one to Yueh, one to Niet, and kept one for herself.

"What are they?" Niet asked, inspecting her gift.

Arashi stared straight forward, and Yueh noted a small smile that played across her lips.

"Not a clue."

Yueh didn't push the matter any further, though, and put the small gift in a pocket. Niet and Arashi did the same.

"Oh! Is someone playing for Yuna and everyone?" Yueh asked, remembering her original question.

"I think so," Arashi said. She shifted in her seat to look at the other two. "Hey, remember that song I sent you guys from FFX-2?"

Yueh laughed. "You mean the game that didn't really happen here? Yeah. Real Emotion, right?"

Niet nodded. "Yeah! I love that song! I practically memorized it the day I heard it!" She began to hum the tune softly, moving her head to the beat.

Arashi grinned. "Cool."

The lights in the stadium dimmed, and spotlights shone on the stage. From beside Yueh, Niet laughed excitedly.

"Where's the singer?" Yueh asked after a few moments. Arashi took a deep breath and jumped up suddenly, pulling Yueh and Niet out of their seats. Before either of the latter could do anything, Arashi had pulled the two onto a hover and to the stage, straight into the glowing spotlight.

"I'm glad you memorized the song, Niet," Arashi said, grinning wildly. "It'll help." Yueh's face crinkled up, confused, while Arashi looked off stage and shouted, "_Red ed_!"

"You speak Al Bhed?" Niet said, her eyes wide.

Suddenly, Yueh felt her body tingle, and looked down to see her clothes shimmering and morphing into a different outfit that distinctly reminded her of something from FFX-2, especially the rather short skirt she now had on. She blushed heavily.

"You can thank our Al Bhed friend for the dress spheres later," Arashi said as a small microphone appeared in her hand and her own outfit changed from a long skirt and blouse to knee-length khakis and a small tank top. Niet's outfit had changed as well, to something with quite a few straps and buckles, and a matching microphone had also popped into her hand.

As a microphone materialized into her own hand, Yueh heard music begin to play, and Arashi sang one short sentence:

_"What can I do for you?"_

When she heard those words, Yueh finally figured out what was going on.

"No way! I am not—I can't _sing_—"

Niet's brown eyes were even larger. "_We're_ the singers!"

Arashi laughed as the intro continued and said with a smile, "It's showtime, girls!" She held her microphone up high and began to wave to the now wildly cheering crowd. "Here we go!"

Yueh and Niet looked at each other behind Arashi's back and shrugged.

_I guess we don't have a choice, do we?_ The two gave lopsided smiles to each other and began to cheer along with Arashi and the crowd.

Arashi started the trio out, singing at the top of her lungs, _"Somewhere in the hazy borders of my heart, I could see a place, that's something like this--"_

_"Every now and then I don't know what to do,"_ Niet went on. She looked at Yueh with another shrug.

Yueh grinned. _"Still I know that I, can never go back!"_

Soon, the three were engulfed in the song, singing and dancing better than they ever had before. Yueh had lost her worries and her fears and let the music take her away. When she looked into the audience and saw Hunter cheering her on, she began to sing even louder.

The song began to end, and Yueh could only smile when she realized one simple thing—this was the perfect ending to her story.

**The End **

_**Dra Aht**_

**Al Bhed Translations:**

_"Mattian, E muja oui!"_ "Mattian, I love you!"

_"Oui cruimh'd! Ra'c yh eteud!"_ "You shouldn't! He's an idiot!"

_"Red ed!"_ "Hit it!"

**Full Song Lyrics for "Real Emotion" by Jade:**

Available at http/www. animelyrics. com under FFX-2 (remove the spaces).

**End Author's notes:**

I can't believe it. Almost two years and 200 pages later, I'm done with this, my longest fanfic ever. Heck, my first/previous fanfic was barely a few pages, I'm sure. Thanks for sticking with me for all this time, even through all the really slow parts and bad writing and writer's blocks. ;; I'm sorry it took this long. When I started out, I never, EVER thought it would end up being anywhere near this length, nor this complicated. From now on, I think I'm going to finish writing the fic before I start posting it, LOL.

This fic is dedicated to all who are in it--you know who you are, or at least you'd better. And special thanks goes out to all those who reviewed and to the people who made FFX and FFX-2. There'd be no fic without them!

This is especially dedicated to UA, who gave me the original inspiration/idea for the fic, although I can't quite remember how. ;; Me and my memory...

Forgive me for the clunky ending, but thanks for sticking with me all the way through it! I'll see you guys again some day--if not in a sequel (oi, God forbid at this point Oo), then in my next fic (that will be much shorter, I promise. ).

Hugs to everyone!

Jedi Ari, signing out...


End file.
